DONNIE BRASCO

[sadeemsaleh]

Both movies portray the life of typical friends, coworkers, or partners. They help, support and cheer each other.

Both characters could be in danger. Joe could have been in danger if the other gang member had known his real job. He could have also been in trouble by the police if there had been another detective watching him; because what he had been doing was against the law. For example, he shouldn’t have kicked the man when they were in the bathroom.

Lefty would have been in danger by the other gang members if they had known about Joe, they might think he also works with him since they always stick around. He is also in jeopardy if Joe submits the recorded conversations, where he testifies about his crimes, to the authorities.

I like this type of movies. It is thrilling and interesting especially because it is based on a true story. It also shows us that we don’t live in a perfect world, as how usually movies depict it. People usually get drifted by the temptations of power or money, which is natural. The world is not free from corruption. I couldn’t finish the movie, but I am sure the ending was with justice as always. So my point is it is okay to sometimes make mistakes as long as we go back to the straight line of living.

Teacher's note: As this author correctly points out, both men are in double danger. This may be the whole fascinating core of the story. They're both in the same boat except that one has a secret. Thanks for a cool post.

--mike www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[Preawwy]

Two main characters of Donnie Brasco (Joe and Lefty) and two main characters of The Internship (Nick and Belly) had two similarities. First, they looked like brothers even [though] they were not. Sometimes, they treated each other not so well, but they were good friends. Second, they were clever and talented. They were able to face many hard problems in hard situation.

For my opinion, I give this movie 6/10. Actually, the overall story was good, but I dont really like this kind of movie personally. Some period of the movie was boring maybe because it was made from true story. Anyway 6/10 is not bad for me, but it's not very good.

Teacher's note: Thanks for a brief but concise comparison. Both points are well taken. Interesting that you note that because Donny Brasco is based on a true story, it runs the risk of being too much like a documentary instead of a drama. Thanks for posting.

--mike http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[Yerka]

Hi Mike,

Buddy movies, ah?

We do find buddies during our lives, our soul mates, person who will understand us better than even our parents. We do! Hereby both movies include great friends and relations between them. Each movie shows the strong relationship between buddies. Buddies never leave, never forget, never give up. Always close, always support, always together.

According to the movie it's obvious that Joe Pistone having a huge mental problems by involving to mafia mission. He finds himself in mafia environment, their lifestyles, behaviors, ways they act, etc. Even the scene when he was cutting someone's leg didn't refresh his mind from being mafia. He was a part of it, he accepted being mafia even without knowing what it is and become one of them.

But I didn't like his character, because he was ready to leave his family because of mafia, it is not a thing man does. Al Pacino - excellent play, as usual!

Teacher's note: As I commented in response to another post, Pistone is a perplexing character indeed. I think that him getting in too deep is only a starting point to understanding the complexity his character. He is a smart cookie who knows when he is being used by the bureau. He knows that he is sentencing Lefty to a death sentence. He knows that none of who he pretends to be is real, but he is angry . . . real ANGRY. So when he starts to fire off, he doesn't always aim at his intended target. And the wrong people get hurt. But always underneath it all, he clings desperately to his humanity, and in the end when he is able to shed his Mafia skin, perhaps he is able to re-enter the true-love ways of his family.

Another way of looking at his character is to say that he is not up to the demands of his undercover assignment. Perhaps he cannot fully handle the requirements of his moments of horror including when he gets the privilege of cutting up Sonny Red. I can't even comprehend how I might come close to handling such a moment. In this scenario of Pistone, perhaps the only question worth asking is how much self awareness can he muster. This may be his only grasp on reality. Thanks for posting.

--mike www.moviesgrowenglish.com