Donnie Brasco (1997)

It's the 70s in New York and Donnie Brasco, a young jewels experts, gets pulled into the mafia by an ageing gangster named Lefty. Donnie is introduced to people, given responsibilities, allowed in the know about the rules of the crime family, all that jazz. But not everyone is as they seem and soon inner quarrelling threatens the integrity of the family.Watching this film feels slightly weird if you've seen Goodfellas, like I have. Because they're eerily similar in their portrayal of mafia. Like scene for scene similar. There's talk about made men, my friend versus our friend, all that stuff. They even exchange wads of cash for Christmas, just like in Goodfellas. I get that that is actually how the mafia just might work, but it's still weird how much stuff is pulled from that movie. Because the stories are not all that similar at all. Goodfellas is about mafia from the point of view of mafia, whereas this is about infiltration, examining the mafia from the point of view of an intruder.And it's a good movie all around. Johnny Depp and Al Pacino are both powerhouse actors, despite this being relatively early on in Depp's career. The story is interesting, the gangster world created is even more interesting and it just has style to it. Goodfellas perhaps portrayed the lure of mafia better, but this allows us to see the ugly underbelly of that.All in all worth a watch for all gangster movie fans. It has it all.

FBI Agent Joe Pistone goes undercover in a section of the New York City mob. Using the name Donnie Brasco, he befriends mafioso Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero. As time goes by, Pistone begins to identify with, and care for his mafia friends, especially Lefty. Pistone is married and has children, but he is away for weeks or months at a time, eventually leading to the break up of his marriage. When he stops reporting to the FBI, his superiors decide the time has come to pull the plug on the operation......Back when this was first released, I thought this was one of the most interesting, well acted crime thrillers I'd ever seen. It was unlike Depp to star in something that appeared to be so mainstream, and the thought of Pacino playing an empathetic protagonist seemed like the perfect idea.Seeing it with fresh eyes nearly twenty years later, it's clear that Newell wanted to make his Goodfellas, and Pacino was his ticket to success.It has the music, it has the great cast, and it has the unpredictable violence. But what it doesn't have, is the passion that Scorcese put into that masterpiece, and the biggest problem with the film is Pacino.He isn't terrible, it's just that he appears to be doing nothing more than parody, and if he says 'forget about it' once, he must say it literally 70-80 times. And that's just him.There is one scene where Depp is discussing with, of all people Paul Giamatti, and Tim Blake-Nelson the different ways of saying 'forget about it' and what it connotes to, and it's a wonder that they keep straight faces throughout.Thank goodness for Madsen, who is clearly the best thing in the film, and again, this is lazy casting. But thank heavens this was the time in his career when he actually put in a good performance, and whenever he's on screen, the film comes alive.Pistone is portrayed as a selfish individual, yes he gets in too deep, but there's no reason to act like a child every time you interact with the real world.So all in all, it's not terrible, it's just nowhere near as good as it thinks it is, hence why you never really see it quoted like the film it's trying to be.It's been forgot about.

When you have two seasoned actors who have given legendary performances over the course of their careers, you are guaranteed to have a stellar movie. In Donnie Brasco, we have Johnny Depp and Al Pacino in the leading roles that is based on the real-life Johnny Pistone, an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates the mafia in order to gain evidence that lead to their arrests. It is a typical mafia movie that is inspired by Goodfellas. We get to see the human side of these horrible people. Johnny Depp is unbelievably good as he is laconic yet assertive and someone who always has the sense of control. A truly mesmerizing performance that must be one of the best seen in modern cinema. Al Pacino plays a real life gangster Lefty. Pacino plays his role with his usual flair and propensity to scream.The story is quite fulfilling and shows the effects that a person leading a double life has. It does not intend to show Johnny Pistone as a hero but as a regular person who is devoted to his job.Donnie Brasco is a must-watch due to its chillingly realistic depiction of the ruthless mafia.

I have not read the book but understand Pistone was undercover for six years vs two. How the FBI could expect a family to stay together under these difficult circumstances is unconscionable. The compensation appears relatively dismal compared to the life risking role expected of it's agents.However, this did make for an excellent portrayal of the many subtle intrigues of remaining in good favor with criminal elements. I enjoyed the New York City street scenes and emphasis on a family life with fellow mobsters and how they seemed to care, unless of course they were "sent for".I noticed too many scenes were artificially created to induce suspense to see whether they uncovered the rat, and when and if they were going to kill Donnie. After you see it once, you definitely notice the annoying dialogue to make you think it could happen at any second, when nothing was further from the truth.The treatment of Donnie by Lefty seemed insincere when he was clearly aware of the great potential of his newest ward. I thought there would have been more teasing and chiding than outright insulting insipid remarks. This detracted from the reality of how many people back east act towards each other.The transformation of Agent Pistone to Donnie Brasco was very well done. He managed to alter many aspects of speech, gait, motions, and reactions. Depp is a respectable ally to Pacino's Lefty.High recommend for discovering a unique layer of an undercover agent's life and it's repercussions both emotionally and in the criminal world.