- Donnie Brasco (film)
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Donnie Brasco 
Theatrical release posterDirected by Mike Newell Produced by Alan Greenspan,
Patrick McCormickWritten by Paul Attanasio Based on Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by
Joseph D. Pistone with Richard WoodleyStarring Al Pacino
Johnny Depp
Michael Madsen
Anne Heche
Bruno KirbyMusic by Patrick Doyle Cinematography Peter Sovia Distributed by TriStar Pictures Release date(s) February 28, 1997 Running time 126 minutes
147 minutes (Extended cut)Country 
United StatesLanguage English Budget $35,000,000 Box office $124,909,762 [1] Donnie Brasco is a 1997 crime drama film directed by Mike Newell, starring Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and Michael Madsen. It is loosely based on the real-life events of Joseph D. Pistone, an FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family, one of the Mafia's Five Families based in New York City during the 1970s, under the alias "Donnie Brasco". The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Contents
Summary
The true story of an FBI undercover agent (Johnny Depp) who becomes Donnie Brasco, "The Jewel Man" to infiltrate one of the mob families. Donnie maneuvers his way into the confidence of aging hit-man, Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino) who trusts Donnie and vouches for him to the mob. But Lefty and Donnie become friends when they should be enemies. As Donnie moves deeper and deeper into the Mafia chain of command, he realizes he is not only crossing the line between federal agent and criminal but is also leading his friend Lefty to an almost certain death sentence.
Plot
Starting in 1978, FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone is assigned to infiltrate the New York City–based Bonanno crime family. Calling himself Donnie Brasco and posing as a jewel thief expert from Vero Beach, Florida, he befriends Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero, a low-level mob hit man whose personal life is in tatters, and Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano, the captain of Lefty's crew.
Lefty can't seem to make enough money, his son is a drug addict and he is continually passed over for promotion to a higher position within the crime family. He continually reminds Brasco of his growing disillusionment about having spent 30 years in the Mafia (and killing 26 people), with little to show for it.
In Donnie, at least, Lefty sees a young protégé who might be able to succeed where he failed. He takes Donnie under his wing. Donnie quickly becomes accepted by the other family members, as an "associate" (the lowest Mafia rank describing people who have criminal ties to the Mafia but are not actual members) and is later nearly officially inducted into the mob as a "made man."
The longer Pistone plays the role of a gangster, the more he finds himself actually becoming Donnie Brasco during his rare off-duty hours. His long absences and change in personality drive a wedge between Pistone and his wife and three children. Meanwhile, the slightest mistake in his performance as a mobster could result in death to him and his family.
In addition, Pistone has come to regard Lefty as a close and trusted friend. He knows that when the day finally comes that the FBI arrests his mob associates, he will be ending Lefty's life as surely as if he himself had killed him.
Cast
- Al Pacino as Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero
- Johnny Depp as Joseph "Donnie Brasco" Pistone
- Michael Madsen as Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano
- Bruno Kirby as Nicky Santora
- Anne Heche as Maggie Pistone
- James Russo as John "Booby" Cersani, name changed to "Paulie" for the film
- Željko Ivanek as Tim Curley
- Gerry Becker as Dean Blandford
- Andrew Parks as Hollman
- Robert Miano as Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato
- Brian Tarantina as Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato
- Rocco Sisto as Richard "Richie" Gazzo
- Tim Blake Nelson as FBI Technician
- Paul Giamatti as FBI Technician
- Carl Mercadante (cameo role)
Reception
Donnie Brasco received mostly positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly called it a "wonderfully dense, clever, and moving gangland thriller," and gave it an A–, also praising Paul Attanasio's screenplay as "a rich, satisfying gumbo of back stabbing, shady business maneuvers, and mayhem."[2]
The film currently has an 87% positive review rating on RottenTomatoes.com, with 45 "fresh" reviews and 7 "rotten."[3] Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three and a half stars out of four.[4] Siskel and Ebert gave Donnie Brasco two thumbs up.[5] Peter Travers of the Rolling Stone praised the film, saying that "Donnie Brasco is one terrific movie."[6] Mike LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a positive review and said that Donnie Brasco was "a first class Mafia thriller."[7] Metacritic cites that the film has a generally favorable 76/100 positive reviews, while the user rating is 8.3.[8]
Critics praised Depp's performance especially: a Salon.com review hailed Depp's performance as "sensational."[9] New York Magazine called him "graceful" and found his acting highly believable: "We can believe that the mob might take him for a tough, ambitious young hood—he has the wariness and the self-confidence that creates an aura."[10]
According to Charles Taylor, writing in Salon.com, both Pacino and Depp are "in top form"; remarking on Pacino's frequent cooperations with younger actors (Sean Penn, John Cusack), Taylor called Donnie Brasco "the best in this series of duets" and singled out Pacino's skills: "His final scene is all the more heartbreaking for the economy of gesture and feeling he brings it. It's an exit that does justice to both the actor and the role, and it leaves an ache in the movie."[9] Entertainment Weekly reserved its highest praise for Pacino: "If Donnie Brasco belongs to any actor, though, it's Al Pacino."[2]
American Film Institute Lists
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
- "Forget about it." - Nominated[11]
- AFI's 10 Top 10 - Nominated Gangster Film[12]
Box office
The movie grossed $41,909,762 in the US, and an estimated $83,000,000 internationally.[13]
Academy Award nominations
The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay.
See also
References
- ^ "Donnie Brasco (1997)". Box Office Mojo. 1997-04-11. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donniebrasco.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
- ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (1997-03-17). "Rev. of Donnie Brasco (1997)". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,286975,00.html. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
- ^ "Donnie Brasco". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Donnie_Brasco/. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
- ^ "Donnie Brasco". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970227/REVIEWS/702270302/1023. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ "Donnie Brasco". At the Movies (1982–1990 TV series). http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/atm/reviews.html?sec=6&subsec=donnie+brasco. Retrieved 2010-06-07.[dead link]
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/donnie-brasco-19970228
- ^ Mike LaSalle (February 28, 1997). "Guns and Roses / Pacino, Depp mob thriller `Donnie Brasco' adds love triangle to the payoff". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/02/28/DD24919.DTL. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
- ^ "Donnie Brasco". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/donnie-brasco. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
- ^ a b Taylor, Charles (1997-03-28). "Donnie Brasco: With Al Pacino and Johnny Depp in top form, "Donnie Brasco" is smarter than the average mob movie.". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/1997/03/28/brasco/. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
- ^ Denby, David (1997-03-17). "Movies: The Sting". New York Magazine: pp. 55–56. http://books.google.com/books?id=u-gCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA55&dq=%22Donnie+Brasco%22+depp&client=firefox-a&cd=4#v=onepage&q=%22Donnie%20Brasco%22%20depp&f=false. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
- ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees
- ^ AFI's 10 Top 10 Ballot
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donniebrasco.htm
External links
- Donnie Brasco at the Internet Movie Database
- Donnie Brasco at Rotten Tomatoes
- Donnie Brasco at Box Office Mojo
Films directed by Mike Newell 1970s The Man in the Iron Mask (1977)1980s The Awakening (1980) · Bad Blood (1982) · Dance with a Stranger (1985) · The Good Father (1985) · Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987)1990s Enchanted April (1992) · Into the West (1992) · Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) · An Awfully Big Adventure (1995) · Donnie Brasco (1997) · Pushing Tin (1999)2000s Mona Lisa Smile (2003) · Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) · Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)2010s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)Bonanno crime family Boss(s) Current members Past members Made menSalvatore Bonanno · Cesare Bonventre · Giovanni Bonventre · Vito Bonventre · Alfred Embarrato · Philip Giaccone · Al Indelicato · Paolo LiCastri · Nicholas Marangello · Anthony Mirra · Salvatore Montagna · John Morales · Dominic Napolitano · Benjamin Ruggiero · Michael Sabella · Gerlando Sciascia · Anthony Spero · John Tartamella · Antonio Tomasulo · Dominick Trinchera · Michael ZaffaranoAssociatesFamily events HearingsKefauver Committee (1950–1951) · Valachi hearings (1963)Social clubsTrialsVictimsMurder victimsWarsCastellammarese War (1929–1931)Allies Genovese family · Gambino family · Lucchese family · Colombo family · Rizzuto family · Cotroni familyOperation Donnie Brasco Joseph D. Pistone · Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia (1988 book) · The Way of the Wiseguy (2004 book) · Donnie Brasco (film)Categories:- 1997 films
- Bonanno crime family
- Films directed by Mike Newell
- Films set in New York City
- Films set in Florida
- Mafia films
- 1990s crime films
- Crime drama films
- True crime films
- English-language films
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