Charles Brandt wrote I Heard You Paint Houses, the book adapted into Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.
Brandt’s 2004 book is based on interviews with Frank Sheeran, a former labor-union official and World War II veteran who claimed involvement in organized crime and the killing of Jimmy Hoffa. The book’s title comes from a coded expression associated with contract killing: “painting houses” refers to blood being splashed on walls.
Scorsese’s film uses the book as its primary source while presenting a fictionalized, controversial account of Sheeran’s life. Robert De Niro plays Sheeran, Al Pacino plays Hoffa, and Joe Pesci plays Russell Bufalino.
The title is often confused with a conventional biography or a novel, but Brandt’s work is a nonfiction crime book built around recorded conversations and reported testimony. The film’s historical claims, especially about Hoffa’s disappearance, remain disputed.