I think I was brainwashed by this movie. By its marketing campaign, to be more precise. You couldn’t turn on the TV that winter without seeing at least one ad for this movie. Al Pacino and Johnny Depp starring in Donnie Brasco, a gripping crime tale based on real events. At least that’s what the ad was saying. In reality, this was more of a casual and easygoing thriller featuring a familiar story of an undercover cop going in too deep. All the stuff you expect to happen will happen. From nail-biting tests of loyalty over the incompetence of the higher-ups in the police to last-second calls. It’s all fucking there.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I watched Beyond The Law, another movie about an undercover cop who went in too deep. And exactly the same thing happened. As soon as he was in, his bosses wanted him to make an intro for another undercover operative. And they didn’t care if both of them got killed in the process. I guess that was a risk they were willing to take with their lives. And I guess that’s just standard operating procedure, to fuck up an op as soon as it starts going well. I mean, Pistone was initially going to be undercover for just six months. He ended up playing the role of Donnie for six fucking years.
Donnie Brasco is not a sprawling crime epic like Scarface, Goodfellas, or even Blow also starring Johnnie Depp. It tells a more personal and contained story, trying to focus on a relationship between an aging mobster and a young undercover cop. The movie is based on a 1988 nonfiction book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley. As such, it has a very authentic vibe. Moreover, writer Paul Attanasio used the original wiretaps to get all the mafia slang just right. Something Al Pacino took great pleasure in conveying to us.
I’m not going to bother you too much with performances as you already know they’re excellent. I expected nothing less from our veteran cast. Depp gave an exceptionally good performance. Additionally, I do want to mention that the guy who actually did all of these things appears in the movie. Joseph D. Pistone, a real-life FBI agent who went undercover to take down the Bonanno crime family plays one of Trafficante’s henchmen in the scene with the boat. He’s the guy who says: “Mr. Tafficante’s leaving.”
I recommend you check out the Extended Cut of the movie featuring a runtime of 2h 27m. It’s just twenty minutes longer than the standard edition but it offers better storytelling. Donnie Brasco is a gangster movie that fans of gangster movies are going to love. It’s also a movie anyone can enjoy, especially since it’s based on real events. The story takes place in the late seventies, so it’s also a period movie. We’ll witness the rise of Miami and the oversaturation of crime families in New York. Moreover, after almost 30 years, this movie will hit you with that charming nineties nostalgia.
In that sense, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, which is not a classic gangster movie but awfully close to it is a good comparison. Donnie Brasco avoids the glamorization of the mafia and gangster lifestyle. It shows just how messy and treacherous this lifestyle can be without offering any kind of benefits. Apart from just a couple of scenes in Miami, we don’t see these mobsters actually enjoying themselves. You’re always on and thinking about the next job or something else. Or at least this is my perspective on that matter.
Director: Mike Newell
Writers: Joseph D. Pistone, Richard Woodley, Paul Attanasio
Cast: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, Anne Heche, James Russo, Zeljko Ivanek
Fun Facts: To further immerse himself in the role Johnny Depp spent months with the real Joseph D. Pistone.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119008/
