Alicia I love this movie so much

GazerRise Fantastic!

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

FlashCallahan 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.

Leofwine_draca At once a worthy and intelligent gangster tale, with less emphasis on extreme violence and melodrama than previous offerings in the genre. This is a character-led drama which draws excellent performances from both Johnny Depp and Al Pacino as the cop and seasoned criminal who become unlikely pals during the course of the film. The supporting players are also good - particularly Michael Madsen, on hand to play yet another sociopath - but it's Depp and Pacino who the film belongs to. Depp gives an ambitious, multi-layered performance of a cop torn between his duties and his loyalty for his new friend, while Pacino is surprisingly restrained and different to his normal persona.Of course, there are still the typical gangster trappings, such as the dismemberment of a corpse in a basement cellar and the systematic beating of a Japanese waiter in some toilets, but this is a film more about people than anybody else. As the inevitable conclusion draws closer, the suspense level rises to an unbearable level and there's a powerful, upsetting conclusion to prepare for. A gripping, involving piece of mature entertainment.

videorama-759-859391 Just watching the end, where Joe Pistone aka. Donnie Brasco, received a big cheque, ones in sizes you can't cash at banks, to the value of 500 hundred dollars, and a medal of commendation, what he went through, prefore, those years of undercover work, leads you to ask "Is it all worth it?" My opinion. No. Because it was his quality of family life, and normal life that suffered. I had heard the real Joe Pistone, tell quite a terrifying tale, which had him in another room, where two mafia guys were fifty fifty about him, and were having a discussion on whether to whack him, where Joe heard the whole tale. Now, put yourself in this situation, you can imagine. Depp, plays the real life Pistone, again to polished perfection, who went undercover as Don the jeweler, and was taken in by Lefty, (a feared mafia man, who becomes a pathetic pussy later on, as his status deteriorates, where Sonny (Michael Madsen, doing what he does best, smiling and looking intimidating with those mannerisms, we love) one of Lefty's gang, replaced him. It's really hard to rate Madsen's performance in this. The other two of Lefty's mob are played by Bruno Kirby and James Russo. Russo really surprised me actually. He's hasn't done work this good for a long time. Pacino as Lefty is just another masterpiece of a performance. I mean, what else can I say? He really carved out this real life character so deep, especially playing the pitiable part well, where Donnie seems to be his real only friend. Anne Heche is great as Depp's suffering wife, and is sexy too, as well as being a great actress. Violence wise, it's only violent when it needs to be, but when it happens, when the blood sprays, it's strong. In particular I'm taking about one scene, before human dismemberment, takes place. This is very smartly modified, as the visuals could of been much worse. Here's just another well told mafia tale, with great acting and writing. In contrast, bits of this one I familiarize with the current Black Mass, with Depp on the other end of the law. But what you really get out of this film, is how scary going over cover is, and Lefty's mob aren't idiots. Check out Pacino's remark about cooks, and his shock revelation, concerning his ill heath in the nether region.

GeoPierpont 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.