Its Donnie, a friend of mine FBI agent Joseph Pistone (
Johnny Depp) is assigned to infiltrate the New York Mafia family . According to legend, Donnie Brasco is a trader of stolen jewels. Starting to communicate with Mafia members, Donnie behaves like them and they begin to take him into their trusted circle. Donnie becomes a friend with "Lefty" (
Al Pacino). Lefty is not young, not in important position in the Mafia. By the surety of Lefty, Donnie learns about all the things happening in the family and he provides invaluable information to the FBI, but Joe himself begins to have serious personal problems.
Al Pacino was able to create a new image that is different from Michael Corleone and Tony Montana. His Lefty is an old ordinary gangster, who achieved nothing in life but can tell Donnie a lot of useful info about Mafia.
Johnny Depp is perfectly portrayed a FBI agent who begins to get sucked into in mafia affairs. This is clearly evident in the scenes with his wife: if at first when Joe comes home to see her, and she sees her husband Joe, then eventually she horrifies to notice that her husband doesn't come as Joe Pistone but gangster Donnie Brasco, for whom their home turned into a shelter.
More about this film : director
Mike Newell showed completely different mafia. If the "Godfather" Mafia - is a powerful criminal corporation, in this film the Mafia - is petty criminal gang engaged in racketeering, blackmail and extortion. This group is a link in the chain of crime world, so even the leader of the Brooklyn district, Sunny Black (it is well played by
Michael Madsen) is concerned only with great "knocking out" money, otherwise if it is not shared top Mafia leaders, he would be killed.
Scenario is interesting because it is based on real events. But there is nothing original. It is a typical "undercover cop" movie.
This movie is worth seeing once again to make sure why the names of Johnny Depp and Al Pacino everyone is talking about. Otherwise,
Forget about it!
Teacher's note: Thanks for a thorough report on Donny Brasco. This gangster flick steps away from the romanticized notion of family, idealized in the Godfather trilogy, but instead shows these guys as a bunch of thugs with a profound lack of imagination. I think this author hits the nail on the head. Thanks for posting.
--mike
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