Donnie Brasco

On one level, "Donnie Brasco" might just look like another mafia movie. But it's not. It tells the story of FBI agent Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp), who in the late 1970s was hired to infiltrate the mafia. So, he got acquainted with hit-man Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero (Al Pacino). But lo and behold, Joe got too much into the mafia lifestyle, to the point where it dominated his life and kept him from his family. And no one ended up with a very good reward at the end.

Both Depp and Pacino are about as intense as we expect them to be, with good support from Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, Anne Heche and Zeljko Ivanek. With his hair all greased back, Depp looks like the ultimate mafioso. I should identify that there are two scenes that will probably make your skin crawl: the leg scene, and what they do to the Japanese waiter.

But don't get me wrong. This is a really good movie. It's certainly a less glamorized view of mafia life than most of Al Pacino's movies, and Johnny Depp was certainly showing the same flair for acting that he has brought to the screen for the past 16 years. Very well done.

Mike Newell is the weirdest choice for director of a Mafia drama, but he actually makes a terrific fist of it, delivering one of the very best gangster movies ever made. Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Anne Heche and Michael Madsen are all in top form in front of the camera, too.

Depp plays undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone in this intriguing true story. Pistone is trying to infiltrate his way into a mob family in order to gather evidence against them. He assumes the identity of "Donnie Brasco" and slowly but surely earns the love and trust of an old-pro hit-man named Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino). As the months go by, Pistone's marriage begins to fall apart as he is away from his wife (Heche) pretty much all the time. The line between his real life and his undercover life blurs together and he finds himself dangerously close to being seduced by the violent Mob lifestyle.

Donnie Brasco is an extraordinary film in many ways. As already mentioned, the performances are note-perfect. But there's so much more to it than that. The late 70s period details are impeccably captured; the dialogue is extraordinarily raw and realistic; the moral dilemma facing Depp is achingly, agonisingly conveyed. It's such a powerful picture, completely involving, that by the end you find yourself wrapped up in Pistone's predicament, asking yourself what decisions you would make in the same circumstances. Very few movies genuinely inspire you to debate the whats, whys and wherefores of the main character and his actions... but with Donnie Brasco, that's just what you'll find yourself doing.

For a movie that's only three years old Donnie Brasco isn't something people talk about all that much. Not exactly setting the box office alight, it's further proof that great pictures don't always translate into great financial concerns.

Maybe it's the nondescript title - "Donnie Brasco" is hardly awe-inspiring and gives little indication of what the film is about. It turns out Donnie is the undercover name for Joe Pistone (Depp), a FBI agent investigating the Mafia. He makes a connection with "Lefty" (Pacino), which, while his initial integration into the group seems to lack conviction, soon builds up a watchable father-son relationship. Criticisms of the film - such as the forced nature of Pistone's behaviour becoming absorbed into the Mafia mindset - are largely irrelevant as this is a "based on a true story" outing.

Engrossing and eminently watchable, with first-rate lead performances and able back-up from Michael Madsen, this is an overlooked and extremely worthwhile film. The only complaint? Depp's first scenes, wearing the most fake-looking moustache in the history of the movies. But it detracts little from what is a highly skilled picture. So Fergeddaboudid!

In a world filled with overheated, and frequently overpraised, gangster movies, it seems to me that Mike Newell's 'Donnie Brasco', the story of a cop who goes undercover to infiltrate the mob, is arguably overlooked. Based on real life events, it contains great performances from Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, a complex but coherent plot, addresses universal themes (divided loyalties, the evolution of human relationships and behaviour) and the ending is genuinely moving. Perhaps it's not fast-paced enough for devotees of the genre; more likely it "fails" this audience for its very success in portraying the mafia as fundamentally pathetic, whereas most gangster pictures at least partly buy into the glamorous myth. But for me, this a superior film to Scorcese's 'Goodfellas', with a faint note of very black comedy that sounds behind the slaughter. Recommended.

Having read the book, the story of Joseph Pistone easily could have been made into two films with creative leeway, and giving more in depth look on how he infiltrated la Cosa-Nostra to the point where Lefty approaches him. I feel the uncut version fills in certain aspects that clarify other scenes in the theatrical release. Two years prior to the Sopranos this gave you a real look into low level made guys, in terms of dress speech and personalities..Not some fantasized version as depicted in The Godfather, and not high earning mob associates who weren't "members" in Goodfellas. Per the book and documentaries his infiltration was key in understanding the mafia structure so that the Feds could optimize the way they'd utilize RICO statutes and wiretapping. The acting was phenomenal but didn't really get into some huge scams that as an associate Donnie met with high level capo regimes, a few bosses especially in Milwaukee and Florida, most notably the Heroin/Pizza ring, Vending machines, and truck hijacking and Union connections. Pacino deserved an Oscar as did Jony Depp for there performance. Ignoring the few scenes with scams and violence and a criminal montage the movie creates an internal conflict and what amounts to a bromance, while providing a look at the different levels of sociopathic behavior and presentation amongst mafia members in the late 70s when the Commission was running the entire Northeast. Knowing the story, and how well this movie was executed by the director of 3 weddings and a funeral...in the hands of Tarantino, or Scorsese this could have bin a trilogy or 2 part saga...while not leaving out what was emphasized in the movie. E.G. after a year of becoming acknowledged as a "legitimate" associate there were members of Colombo and Bonnano families that tried to recruit him. And we saw frustration and helplessness as an agent, but not the fear and paranoia he had to experience magnified more than any "legitimate" associate...a wrong question, talking to the wrong person, showing that he can be a psychotic by knowing the rules. I loved the film but it was again primarily focused on Donnie Brosco's juggling his wife, the FBI, and staying in character...it didn't go into his accomplishments things he saw and big people he came in touch with not just in the Bonnano Family. Kudos to Michael Madison as well.