On D List of Movie Reviews
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Donnie Brasco (1997)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
7/04, 3/06, 2/25
3/06:
I initially thought of Donnie Brasco as a terrific mob picture but not anymore.
Boring for the most part, it doesn't have much to offer except for the twist. Al Pacino is great, but Johnny Depp
isn't in his league. They lack depth, but I like their chemistry.
All in all, Donnie Brasco has left me desiring for more.
2/25:
Donnie Brasco is better now.
As a teacher to Johnny Depp, Al Pacino has moments of brilliance. It's the way he talks and how the lines roll
off his tongue. In other words, he's a gifted actor. My favorite is when he said, "Thirty years busting my hump.
For what? A lion."
The screenplay is authentic as most of it was taken from actual wiretaps, hence the film's sole
Oscar nomination. Joseph D. Pistone deemed everything to be "85% accurate" and wasn't able to see his family for
over two years. He makes a cameo appearance when he says, "Mr. Tafficante's leaving" while the boat
("The Left Hand") is docked.
Johnny Depp gives one of the better performances of his career. His character's confusion is interesting because
the Joseph D. Pistone in him has a hard time understanding that Lefty Ruggiero is nothing more than
a weasel mob guy. There's also the Donnie Brasco part that relishes the mafia life, creating a conflict with his wife.
In the meantime, good supporting performances are rendered, especially by Michael Madsen and Anne Heche.
Although the story is true, there are significant differences. Everything with Lefty Ruggiero actually happened
through him and Sonny Black combined. Lefty stayed alive until 1994. Ditto for Santora (Bruno Kirby) who
died in 2018. It's not the first time an undercover man infiltrated the mob; that would be Michael Malone of the
Treasury Department who was part of Al Capone's gang, gathering enough information to indict him and Frank Nitti
on tax envasion charges.
And there was Joe Valachi, as a connected informer, who confirmed the existence of the Mafia through the name
"cosa nostra" for the first time ever and exposed its inner workings in depth. As an FBI agent, Joseph D. Pistone went
the furthest of anyone, which took six years in total, having almost become a made man. Consequently, the Bonanno
family was decimated and thrown out of the Commission although the original plan was to target the Columbo family
which was unsuccessful, causing the switch to Lefty.
All in all, Al Pacino is the biggest reason for the success of Donnie Brasco.