Donnie Brasco (DVD)

Lefty: [talking to Donnie] When I introduce you, I'm gonna say, "This is a friend of mine." That means you're a connected guy. Now if I said instead, this is a friend of ours that would mean you a made guy. A Capiche! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For me Donnie Brasco was a seminal moment for Italian American actors in the movie business, the end of the stereotype if you like, the moment the mafia flick pretty much died out after twenty five long years of classics, this the final great movie of the genre for me, after making actors like Pacino and DeNiro huge stars. There's something rather prophetic about the narrative in ...  Read the complete review

'Donnie Brasco' was the name given to undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone, who spent six years infiltrating the New York City mob in the 1970s. His work led to over two-hundred indictments and over one-hundred convictions of Mafia members. Based on a true story, the film stars Johnny Depp as Pistone and Al Pacino as 'Lefty'. Lefty is a two-bit mafia member struggling for recognition, while Donnie is posing as a diamond expert in hope that he can worm his way into mob headquarters. They start working together and become good friends. The boss, Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano (Michael Madsen), notices that Donnie is a trustworthy candidate and elevates ...  Read the complete review

I was bored last night. You know the situation, loads of channels yet there's nothing to watch. Anyways, I thought let's stick a film on and my eyes caught the spine of a film still wrapped up in sellaphane. Ah, Mr Depp and Mr Pacino, it's high time I actually watched this flick seeing as I bought it for peanuts on Play.com last year. So, I whacked on the PS3 lounged on the sofa and hoped for something special. Well, all I can say is that I'm a mug for waiting so long to watch this film. In a nutshell this film is about an FBI agent who gets involved in the murky world of the Mafia. As he goes deeper he finds it ever harder to resist going ...  Read the complete review

Think of the traditional Italian American mafia film, and The Godfather Trilogy or Goodfellas are usually the films that spring to mind immediately. Like Henry Hill's true life story told in Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco tells the life of undercover FBI operative Joseph Pistone as he infiltrates the New York mob, rises through the ranks, and ultimately, takes down several of his new found colleagues. Donnie Brasco is played superbly by Johnny Depp, who portrays the contrasting life of a wise guy and family man to expert effect. The crossover between his new 'family', and his wife and children is done very well, and one memorable scene on Christmas Day shows the ...  Read the complete review

Donnie Brasco is a movie about an FBI infiltration of a criminal ring of Italian-Americans. Although I am not a massive fan of either Al Pacino nor Johnny Depp, both produce fine characters in this film, certainly characters that you can sympathise with. This film is actually pretty special in that it satisfies different cravings on different fronts simultaneously. If you are looking for a gangster movie then you will like this. It is pretty traditional in its telling of gangsters- bosses and sub bosses etc. If on the other hand you want a film about infiltration, then you will definitely like this film, as you see how the FBI gradually ...  Read the complete review