Donnie Brasco (1997)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:52
Fresh:45
Rotten:7
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: A stark, nuanced portrait of life in organized crime, bolstered by strong performances from Al Pacino and Johnny Depp.
Synopsis: Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) is an FBI mole who integrates himself into the Mafia pecking order by posing as "jewel man" Donnie Brasco. He finds his loyalties divided when Lefty Ruggiero, a jaded hit... [More]
Reviews for Donnie Brasco
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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[A] powerful Mafia genre film with impressive star leads and emotional punch. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
Depp's tight, guarded performance is almost painful to watch, and Newell seems to have reined in the flamboyant Pacino, whose portrait of the mobster as a grumpy old man may be his best work in years. Full Review |
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It's tempting to think Pacino stopped trying sometime in the mid-1980s. But watch Lefty's elegiac final scene and you might conclude that it's not Al's ability that's dimmed, rather it's the imagination of casting directors that's grown stale. Full Review |
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Although perhaps familiar in its outer trappings, Pacino's fine work is the key to the film succeeding to the extent that it does. Full Review |
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5/5 |
[Newell and Attanasio] pay as much attention to emotional details as to the clockwork details of mob life. Full Review |
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B+ |
Just misses ranking in the upper echelon of mob movies. Full Review |
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A tense, sharp and compelling character study, Newell's film is a worthy addition to the Mob-movie canon. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
A classy piece of work that may disappoint those looking for something more conventional. Full Review |
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B+ |
A blue collar gangster movie that succeeds on all attempted levels, particularly acting. Full Review |
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B+ |
Donnie Brasco is a fine movie but it might just be best remembered as Johnny Depp's coming-out party. A star -- check that, an actor -- is born. Full Review |
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6/10 |
Shows that solid acting and writing can salvage even material that has been covered by much better filmmakers. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
Donnie Brasco manages to sidestep the obvious and dwell on the intriguing. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
In almost every respect, Donnie Brasco is an original, the unexpected rebirth of an old and oft-told tale. Full Review |
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4/4 |
Donnie Brasco is 120 minutes of riveting filmmaking. Full Review |
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Unfortunately, the story isn't inventive and Newell's methodical approach to it verges on monotony. Full Review |
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4.5/5 |
It's gritty, real and totally engrossing. Full Review |
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4/4 |
A first-class Mafia thriller that is also, in its way, a love story. Full Review |
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3/5 |
It's hard to develop any sympathy for the film's nasty manipulative humans, despite the best efforts of all involved in this newest slant on the mean-streets crowd. Full Review |
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The humor and tragedy that Pacino and Depp put on the screen will stay with you. Full Review |
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3/4 |
In the tired figure of Lefty, manifest in the craggy icon of Pacino, our sympathies are definitely enlisted, and the theme rings a poignant note. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for Donnie Brasco
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May 09, 2005:
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