Donnie Brasco (Special Edition)
Starring: Al Pacino, Johnny DeppDirector: Mike Newell
Studio: Columbia/Tristar Studios
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time: 127 minutes
DVD Release: May 4th 2004
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DVD Review
Based on a memoir by former undercover cop Joe Pistone (whose daring and unprecedented infiltration of the New York Mob scene earned him a place in the federal witness protection program), Donnie Brasco is like a de- romanticized, de-mythologized version of The Godfather. It offers an uncommonly detailed, privileged glimpse inside the world of organized crime from the perspective of the little guys at the bottom of Mafia hierarchy rather than from the kingpins at the top. Donnie Brasco is not only one of the great modern-day gangster movies to put in the company of The Godfather films and GoodFellas, but it is also one of the great undercover police movies--arguably surpassing Serpico and Prince of the City in richness of character, detail, and moral complexity. Donnie (Johnny Depp, a splendid actor) is practically adopted by Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a gregarious, low-level "made" man who grows to love his young protégé like a son. (Pacino really sinks into this guy's skin and polyester slacks, and creates his freshest, most fully realized character since his 1970s heyday.) As Donnie acclimates himself to Lefty's world, he distances himself from his wife (a terrific Anne Heche) and family for their own protection. Almost imperceptibly his sense of identity slips away from him. Questioning his own confused loyalties, unable to trust anybody else because he himself is an imposter, Donnie loses his way in a murky and treacherous no-man's land. The film is directed by Mike Newell, who also headed up Four Weddings and a Funeral and the gritty, true crime melodrama Dance with a Stranger. --Jim Emerson
User Reviews
The Underside of Crime - Rating: 5/5
I saw "Donnie Brasco" shortly after it came out. I found it to be an excellent, well-acted, well-directed, and well-scripted examination of lower level organized crime. The people we see are criminals and they do bad things. Some of the things they do are quite upsetting. However, some of the things they do seem so minor to what we expect that it helps underscore the occassional triviality of small-time crime. There's a scene, for example, in which a number of crooks spend a lot of time trying to break open parking meters to get at the change inside. I enjoyed the way the movie attempted to understate the level of criminality while reminding us periodically that these are still bad guys ready to step across whatever line we might have been willing to draw in the sand.
The focus of the movie is a crook called Lefty and played excellently by Al Pacino. Lefty happens to meet an undercover cop and, after a cooperative effort, brings him into the fold. We get the sense that we are witnessing a lot of real life events which is only natural since this is based on a true story by Joseph Pistone. Lefty and Donnie Brasco, the undercover cop, spend their time doing what small time wise guys do. It isn't glamorous but it is filmed in a way that makes it interesting. In the end, we feel sorry for Lefty. He had a chance to get out and realize his dream. However, dead end or not, he stayed with the only life he understood and he understood it to the very end.
I'm sure I wouldn't want to meet any of the characters shown in this movie. However, I must say that I enjoyed meeting them through the movie "Donnie Brasco".
Hard to believe most of it is true , what a story - Rating: 4/5
I think what makes this movie so powerful is the sense that the viewer is discovering things at the same time as the main character , Donnie . The sense of danger throughout and the relative lack of Hollywood cliches help to keep the whole experience more true to life .
The viewer sees and feels what is at stake for Donnie mentally , personally and professionally . The point is made but not laboured .
There are few more effective mobster movies than this one .
For me , it is up there with the first 2 Godfather films and Goodfellas .
The film is well made and will not disappoint . The DVD also has an informative documentary as well as other features .
A good enough gangster movie... - Rating: 4/5
This movie was better than i expexted it to be. Really delving into the mob and mafia families, showing the lives of fear and the danger of living as a wiseguy. For example vouching for someone who dosn't deliver gets you killed. So imagine the danger that an undercover FBI agent is in. There you have Donnie Brasco. A great movie, really tense, and showing a side of wiseguys not usually shown in the movies in the Pacino character 'Lefty' who is poor and basically a donkey worker. With great acting from Al and Depp, the only thing that lets this movie down from 5 stars is the scatty story which is based on actual events. A bit here and there though i thought. All in all a great movie. Enjoy!
Authentic and Excellent. - Rating: 5/5
This is one of the most underrated movies ever made. I think that Goodfellas and The Godfather trilogy (really, only Parts I and II) set the bar so high for mob movies that Donnie Brasco never received the full adulation it deserved. With Al Pacino, he's been brilliant so often that it's a challenge to explain why he's unique in this role. All I can say is that he IS Lefty even had Lefty never existed before. The unkempt hair, the goofy glasses, the mixture of desperation and violence are exactly what we would expect from a long-time, disaffected mafia enforcer. There's no Hollywood glamour; only grit, grime, and charm. That he so captures our sympathy cannot be taken for granted as I'm not sure another actor could influence us the way Pacino does. As for Depp, he won me over a decade ago with Ed Wood, and his portrayal of Brasco is sensational. If you gave a role like this to DiCaprio, it would be a disaster, yet Depp is infinitely competent. Lastly, Madsen as Sonny Black was a real treat. I went online and took a gander at some of the pictures of the real Sonny, and, of course, there are few physical similarites, but he's a stand out as well. I saw Donnie Brasco yesterday for the second time and found that I could not turn it off. If you asked me how long it was, I'd honestly would not know. Not a great movie? Furgettaboutit.
Penetrating mobster movie! - Rating: 5/5
An unfiltered FBI agent gets penetrate the dangerous web of a criminal organization. Based on real facts in 1978, he is godfathered by Al, a looser into the hoodlum pyramid. Against the odds, Al risks himself and Donnie ascends at impressive rhythm when he acquires an original feature before Sonny Black. Meanwhile his marriage sinks due the brutal emotional tension, he swims between two waters and the nerves progressively transform his kind character becoming him another member of the bunch.
Interesting proposal, I think this was the film who revealed Johnny Depp as a solid actor, far beyond his previous works, this was a difficult performance with many inflexions and dramatic changes, but his countenance and talent made the rest. Pacino and Madsen are terrific too in this bloody thriller of betray and greed.
Good point for Mike Newell behind the camera.
