"Donnie Brasco" is a story of an undercover FBI agent of the same name in the Mafia. It's centered around the relationship between Donnie (Johnny Depp) and his mafia mentor-like figure, "Lefty" (Al Pacino). Those two showcased great performances and it was a pleasure to see young Johnny Depp at his early prime. I've been a fan of Pacino since "The Irishman" and Lefty felt more human than Jimmy Hoffa with relatable flaws. Their chemistry was a rare sight and will go down as a great student-teacher paring.
One minor complaint that I have about that relationship is that the movie had a tendency to encourage the audience to fill in the blanks of how it progressed. The original version that I watched still accomplished establishing their relationship and resulted in a memorable ending. But the extended version spent more time on building their relationship and hence amplifies the effect. Regardless, the final 20 minutes of the movie was extremely well done as the respect and love for another in the duo are evident. Donnie tries to rescue out Lefty and Lefty is not angry about realizing that Donnie's an FBI agent and gracefully takes the responsibility of letting someone infiltrate the mafia. Perhaps he was content that he was proud of his protegee, a product of his mentorship and something that he can finally claim his own, despite Donnie's intentions.
The movie also spends a lot of focus in exploring the side effects of being an undercover agent, particularly through the struggle in Donnie's marriage. The intensity of these scenes show you the all-consuming nature of being undercover and how you can lose yourself in that cover. While there are many Mafia movies out there, which I have much more to explore, it seemed that "Donnie Brasco" is unusually sensitive and carefully crafted for a mafia movie. The movie shows that Mafia members are still human with a sense of humor, insecurities, love for their families, and a sense of mentorship and brotherhood. It adds to the genre by showcasing the so-called soft side of organized crime.
An excellent 90's gem through and through!
One minor complaint that I have about that relationship is that the movie had a tendency to encourage the audience to fill in the blanks of how it progressed. The original version that I watched still accomplished establishing their relationship and resulted in a memorable ending. But the extended version spent more time on building their relationship and hence amplifies the effect. Regardless, the final 20 minutes of the movie was extremely well done as the respect and love for another in the duo are evident. Donnie tries to rescue out Lefty and Lefty is not angry about realizing that Donnie's an FBI agent and gracefully takes the responsibility of letting someone infiltrate the mafia. Perhaps he was content that he was proud of his protegee, a product of his mentorship and something that he can finally claim his own, despite Donnie's intentions.
The movie also spends a lot of focus in exploring the side effects of being an undercover agent, particularly through the struggle in Donnie's marriage. The intensity of these scenes show you the all-consuming nature of being undercover and how you can lose yourself in that cover. While there are many Mafia movies out there, which I have much more to explore, it seemed that "Donnie Brasco" is unusually sensitive and carefully crafted for a mafia movie. The movie shows that Mafia members are still human with a sense of humor, insecurities, love for their families, and a sense of mentorship and brotherhood. It adds to the genre by showcasing the so-called soft side of organized crime.
An excellent 90's gem through and through!