An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 16 nominations total
Zeljko Ivanek
- Tim Curley
- (as Željko Ivanek)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAl Pacino loved being able to use all of the rich Mafia slang throughout the film. Writer Paul Attanasio captured mob dialect so accurately because he had Joseph D. Pistone's wiretaps.
- GoofsSonny Black introduces Donnie to Santo Trafficante as "a friend of ours", it should be "a friend of mine", because Donnie wasn't a made man, only a connected guy as Lefty states earlier in the film. However, in the source material, Joe Pistone noted that Sonny Black did eventually start introducing him, as Donnie Brasco, as "a friend of ours" even though he was not a made man.
- Quotes
Lefty: [standing next to Donnie's car at night] There's the boss. And, under him, there's the skipper. You know how this works?
Donnie Brasco: Yeah, it's like in the army.
Lefty: Bullshit. The army is some guy you don't know telling you to go whack some other guy you don't know.
- Alternate versionsIn 2007, Sony released an DVD "Extended Cut" featuring an extra 20 minutes footage (taking the running time up to 147 minutes).
- SoundtracksA Stranger on Earth
Written by Sid Feller and Rick Ward
Performed by Dinah Washington
Courtesy of Blue Note Records, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets
Featured review
Donnie Brasco is an unusual gangster film. It is directed by Brit Mike Newell whose filmography is as diverse as his fellow countryman, Stephen Frears.
Based on true facts. Johnny Depp plays Joseph Pistone a cop who has gone deep cover to infiltrate the mob.
Going under the name Donnie Brasco. He has befriended fading hitman Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino.) He has done 26 hits but gets constantly passed over for promotion and he and his comrades have to make money by robbing parking meters.
Lefty becomes a mentor for Donnie and vouches for him to his boss Sonny Black (Michael Madsen.) Who in turn is answerable to his boss who is in prison.
Pistone is in so deep, he soon begins to assimilate the mannerisms of gangster life which he has infiltrated for two years. This has not gone unnoticed on his police bosses and especially his wife and family, who he sees irregularly.
Donnie Brasco is a character piece of the lower end of gangster life. Those that do not rise too far from the Mean Streets.
Lefty has a dream of sailing away in a boat and leaving his life behind. He just cannot afford to. Donnie seems to have had a genuine bond with Lefty.
For Pacino, this is a chance to be subtle rather than chew the scenery. Depp is at his best with Pacino but the scenes with his family tend to be a weakness.
Overall despite some sudden scenes of violence. It lacks that touch of a Coppola or Scorsese or DePalma that stops the movie from being an epic.
Based on true facts. Johnny Depp plays Joseph Pistone a cop who has gone deep cover to infiltrate the mob.
Going under the name Donnie Brasco. He has befriended fading hitman Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino.) He has done 26 hits but gets constantly passed over for promotion and he and his comrades have to make money by robbing parking meters.
Lefty becomes a mentor for Donnie and vouches for him to his boss Sonny Black (Michael Madsen.) Who in turn is answerable to his boss who is in prison.
Pistone is in so deep, he soon begins to assimilate the mannerisms of gangster life which he has infiltrated for two years. This has not gone unnoticed on his police bosses and especially his wife and family, who he sees irregularly.
Donnie Brasco is a character piece of the lower end of gangster life. Those that do not rise too far from the Mean Streets.
Lefty has a dream of sailing away in a boat and leaving his life behind. He just cannot afford to. Donnie seems to have had a genuine bond with Lefty.
For Pacino, this is a chance to be subtle rather than chew the scenery. Depp is at his best with Pacino but the scenes with his family tend to be a weakness.
Overall despite some sudden scenes of violence. It lacks that touch of a Coppola or Scorsese or DePalma that stops the movie from being an epic.
- Prismark10
- Jul 7, 2022
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Brasco
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $35,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $41,909,762
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,660,216
- Mar 2, 1997
- Gross worldwide
- $124,909,762
- Runtime2 hours 7 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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