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Donnie Brasco
1997
Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) is an FBI who ingratiates himself into the Mafia pecking order by posing as "jewel man" Donnie Brasco. He finds his loyalties divided when Lefty Ruggiero, a jaded hit man, takes him on as a protege and places real trust in him. The two men form a friendship--and a criminal partnership--that .. Read more
| Starring | Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby |
|---|---|
| Director | Mike Newell |
| Genres | Drama, Thriller |
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Donnie Brasco
Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) is an FBI who ingratiates himself into the Mafia pecking order by posing as "jewel man" Donnie Brasco. He finds his loyalties divided when Lefty Ruggiero, a jaded hit man, takes him on as a protege and places real trust in him. The two men form a friendship--and a criminal partnership--that jeopardizes Brasco's mission and obscures the boundaries between the law and the underworld. The film is based on the autobiography DONNIE BRASCO, MY UNDERCOVER LIFE IN THE MAFIA by former undercover agent Joseph D. Pistone. Directed by Mike Newell (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) and also starring Bruno Kirby (THE FRESHMAN, THIS IS SPINAL TAP), Michael Madsen (RESERVOIR DOGS) and Anne Heche (WAG THE DOG).
| Starring | Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, Anne Heche |
|---|---|
| Director | Mike Newell |
| Studio | ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 1 min |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Cops & Robbers |
| Genres | Drama, Thriller |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 28 Jun 1999 Production year: 1997 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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In this 1970s-set crime drama, Al Pacino stars as a sleazeball who inducts young Brasco, played by Johnny Depp, into the codes and “family” values of organised crime. In fact, Brasco is an FBI undercover agent whose job threatens his marriage to Anne Heche as well as his life. In a way, it's a curious reversal of Pacino's earlier role in Serpico, in which his character went undercover. Directed by Mike Newell — a change of pace from Four Weddings and a Funeral — it's pitched midway between the epic Godfather and the flash GoodFellas, and develops nicely as Depp finds himself becoming rather fond of his monstrous mentor. The period setting — a world of tacky shirts, fur collars and plastic lawns — is also beautifully evoked.
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A mob movie, based on a true story, that takes an almost academic interest in the rituals and manners of its denizens, concerned less with their actions than their characters, which gives it an effectively tragic intensity as two different sets of loyalti
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Most helpful member's review
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27 out of 29 people found this review helpful
Donnie Brasco
Donnie Brasco centers around the true story of FBI Agent, Joseph D. Pistone, played by Johnny Depp, who infiltrates the mafia of New York, by befriending Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggerio (Al Pacino) under the moniker of Donnie Brasco. He gets himself in with the mafia faction led by Sonny Black (Michael Madsen), and finds himself falling in deeper and deeper as the group hit the big time. This puts Donny at conflict, putting a strain on his marriage, but unable to walk away lest Lefty pays the price.
Donnie Brasco is probably one of the best mob films I've seen since The Godfather and Scarface. Johnny Depp delivers a convincing perfomance as a mobster, but also a man who is at conflict with himself, his family, his friends but most of all his conscience, showing once again Depp's versatility as an actor. Also Al Pacino delivers arguarbly one of his best perfomances, showing Lefty to be a character who is strong, loyal and yet vulnerable. And of all the characters, Lefty is the one you feel for the most.
As Brasco delves deeper and deeper into the crime syndicate, the more intense the storyline becomes and the more you feel for the particpants. And the fact that it is based on a true story makes it all the more compelling.
When people mention mob films, the first they say are The Godfather, and Scarface. But Donnie Brasco definitely deserves to be mentioned too.
Is this a must-see film? Eh, forget about it! (That means yes.) -
Most recent members' review
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3 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Donnie Brasco
Donnie Brasco is based on the true story of FBI agent Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp), who went undercover and infiltrated the New York City mob during the late 1970s. Joe, who went by the name of 'Donnie Brasco', played his role so effectively that he rose to extraordinary heights within the organization, holding a place alongside his mentor, Lefty (Al Pacino), in the inner circle of boss Sonny Black (Michael Madsen). But, the more time he spent with members of the Mafia, the more like them he became. And, after a while, Joe could no longer tell where his true loyalties lay: to his wife (Anne Heche), family, and government, or to the wiseguys who had adopted him into their exclusive club and lifestyle.
Perhaps the most impressive thing that Newell has done with Donnie Brasco is to cull an atypically low-key and introspective performance from Al Pacino, an actor known for manic, scenery-chewing efforts. Lefty is a world-weary hit man with 26 kills under his belt and little to show for it. '30 years, I'm bustin' my hump... for what?' he laments when he is passed over for promotion within the mob. His dream is to buy a boat and sail far away from civilization, but he doesn't have the money or the gumption to chase that golden fantasy. Pacino presents Lefty as a tragic, and at times pathetic, character who earns our pity and understanding, if not our sympathy. There's little hint of Michael Corleone here -- Lefty is an impotent doubter who knows how it will all end.
While not on Pacino's level, Johnny Depp is competent as the title character, a man who loses his perspective as he becomes seduced by the mobster's lifestyle. Depp lets us see the conflict within Joe as his friendship with Lefty grows into something real and as his wife and children become little more than distant images. Near the beginning of Donnie Brasco, Joe attempts to prevent a hit; by the end, he comes perilously close to taking part. If there are times when Joe's character doesn't seem whole, the blame lies more with the script's failure to provide the needed background or motivation than with Depp's performance.
Although Donnie Brasco is set against a backdrop of crime and violence (and Newell doesn't shrink from showing these elements, although he's more restrained than a Scorsese might be), it, like many better gangster films, is really about family and relationships. Lefty and Joe have a surrogate father/son bond that gradually supersedes all other attachments in either of their lives. As Lefty says at one point, '[The mob] is my family, even more than my [real] family.' It's because Donnie Brasco focuses on characters and relationships that it makes for compelling viewing.
Although the film contains many of the usual mob cliches and stock secondary characters, these don't detract much from the viewer's enjoyment. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but many 'based on real events' motion pictures aren't nearly as well-executed or involving as Donnie Brasco. The film has all the right little touches to be believable, such as Lefty's fascinating lesson to his protege about how to dress, act, and speak to be respected in wiseguy circles. Donnie Brasco takes us into a world that the movies frequently open to us, but somehow this trip seems more real and less glamorized than most. The result is a satisfying film going experience. -
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Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) is an FBI who ingratiates himself into the Mafia pecking order by posing as "jewel man" Donnie Brasco. He finds his loyalties divided when Lefty Ruggiero, a jaded hit man, ... -