One of the most moving and insightful gangster films ever made.
Donnie Brasco (1997)
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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... 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 man, takes him on as a protégé 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). [More]
Starring: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Anne Heche
Starring: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Anne Heche, Bruno Kirby, Zach Grenier
Director: Mike Newell
Director: Mike Newell
Screenwriter: Paul Attanasio
Story: Joseph Pistone, Richard Woodley
Producer: Mark Johnson, Barry Levinson, Louis Di Giaima, Gail Mutrux, Patrick McCormick, Alan Greespan
Reviews for Donnie Brasco
Depp is convincing as the role-playing agent who loses track of his real identity.
Pacino and Depp are a match made in acting heaven, riffing off each other with astonishing subtlety and wit.
Powerful, driving, incisive and fascinating, Donnie Brasco paints a convincing portrait of a man's life undercover.
Though the outline of what the film has tried to do is visible, so little feels at stake emotionally that anyone intending to care about these characters would be well advised, for want of a better phrase, to simply fhuggedaboudit.
I don't know if I can emphasize enough how much I enjoyed the fine performances of Depp and Pacino.
[Pacino's] turn as a low-level mobster is his most relaxed and charming work in years.
One fine little character study about crime, friendship and loyalty in gangland New York City.
For all its treacheries, twists and turns, nothing really comes as a surprise.
May be the best mob movie in years that was made by somebody whose name is not Scorsese or Coppola.
Takes us into a world that the movies frequently open to us, but somehow this trip seems more real and less glamorized than most.
An affirmation that the director, Mike Newell, has a gift for talkative, intelligent films that make his actors shine.
The performances are terrific, especially Pacino. But when has he not been? But here he's even better than usual, even showing a vulnerable side that is almost heartbreaking.
This underrated Mafia film ranks at the top when it comes to emotional intensity, character development, and revealing the inside nature of the Mob.
Latest News for Donnie Brasco
August 16, 2006:
Character Actor Bruno Kirby, Dead at 57
You'd immediately recognize the face (and the voice) from movies like "City Slickers," "Good Morning Vietnam," and "When Harry Met Sally," but you... More...
February 17, 2006:
Newell & Bardem Come Down with "Cholera"
International acting stud Javier Bardem and well-rounded movie director Mike Newell are about to bring the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Love in the Time of Cholera" to the... More...
May 09, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: "Harry Potter Part 4" Teaser
Those who love and admire the Harry Potter books and films, which is pretty much all of us (to one degree or another), will want to head over to Apple Quicktime's Movie Trailer... More...
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