Donnie Brasco is one of the best and most overlooked gangster movies I’ve ever seen. It’s an entertaining but sympathetic look at the personal lives of criminals and the cops who go after them. Al Pacino, playing a sad, ageing gangster who is never “called up,” doesn’t get any better than this. Johnny Depp as an undercover cop pretending to be Pacino’s protégé doesn’t miss a beat. He and Pacino are at the top of their game and they complement each other perfectly. It’s an impressive movie all around, and only gets better with each viewing. Movies like Goodfellas glorify the criminal lifestyle. Donnie Brasco shows us gangsters who can barely pay their rent. Maybe that’s why it’s not as well-known. I don’t know. But it should be a classic.
That’s one of the few trailers that isn’t misleading about the movie.
You’re preaching to the choir…
One of my favourite scenes is in the Japanese restaurant. F#cking tense! Obviously when they find out they have a rat is pretty tense too.
I couldn’t agree more. One of Al Pacino’s best performances – and none of that annoying “hoo-ha” ham.
My son went to high school with the real Donnie Brasco’s daughters.
I rewatched “Donnie Brasco” tonight. I didn’t notice it before, but the music kills much of the drama. It’s dated and obvious. Take the music out of it and it would have been more potent. I kind of hate the music, actually. Al Pacino’s performance is still excellent, but the movie has fallen short of its greatest to me now.
3 out of 4 stars.