Donnie Brasco (1997)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: A stark, nuanced portrait of life in organized crime, bolstered by strong performances from Al Pacino and Johnny Depp.
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Cast
as Lefty Ruggiero
as Joe Pistone/Donnie Brasco
as Sonny Black
as Nicky
as Paulie
as Maggie Pistone
as Tim Curley
as Dean Blandford
as Dr. Berger
as Bruno
as Sonny Red
as Richie Gazzo
as Sheriff
as Annette
as Strip Club Owner
as Sonny's Girlfriend
as Philly Lucky
as Big Trin
as Santos Trafficante
as Jilly
as Daughter
as Daughter
as Daughter
as Tommy
as FBI Technician
as FBI Technician
as FBI Agent
as US Attorney
as Hollman
as Japanese Maitre D'
as Trafficante's Man
as Trafficante's Man
as Mare Chiaro Bartender
as Communion Party Man
as Communion Party Woman
as Mob Girlfriend
as Mob Girlfriend
as Mob Girlfriend
as Mob Girlfriend
as FBI Director
as FBI Photographer
as Singer
as Singer
as Singer
as Wiseguy
as Wiseguy
as Wiseguy
as Wiseguy
as Wiseguy
as Wiseguy
as Wiseguy
as Wiseguy
as Wiseguy
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Critic Reviews for Donnie Brasco
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (7) | DVD (12)
Although perhaps familiar in its outer trappings, Pacino's fine work is the key to the film succeeding to the extent that it does.
A tense, sharp and compelling character study, Newell's film is a worthy addition to the Mob-movie canon.
Unfortunately, the story isn't inventive and Newell's methodical approach to it verges on monotony.
A first-class Mafia thriller that is also, in its way, a love story.
In the tired figure of Lefty, manifest in the craggy icon of Pacino, our sympathies are definitely enlisted, and the theme rings a poignant note.
Pacino and Depp are a match made in acting heaven, riffing off each other with astonishing subtlety and wit.
Audience Reviews for Donnie Brasco
I'm over a decade and a half late, but I finally watched Donnie Brasco. Went in not knowing a clue about who or what the movie was about, but afterwards I was left feeling stupid. Stupid because I didn't watch such a great mobster/suspense film sooner. It's pretty awesome to see Johnny Depp in a role where he is not playing a pirate or a man with scissors attached to his hands lol; if only he could get back to more of this real life acting. I enjoyed the movie and thought it flowed really well.
Super Reviewer
WOO! A breath of fresh air. After a recommendation from a good friend of mine -- yup, I'm talking to you Rottentomatoes buddy ;) -- "Donnie Brasco" took me by a big surprise. What an enthralling piece of work that surges the audience into a non-Hollywood-ized portrayal of an everyday Mafia lifestyle. Everything you can ask for from a movie, "Donnie Brasco" answers it all. An undercover within the mob. It's been done countless and millions of times. However, when done as exquisitely as "Donnie Brasco" does, it's like watching an original plotline again. The obvious story outcomes that we're expecting from a plotline in this type of genre, "Donnie Brasco" hurdles over somewhat the same plot-points with a higher emphasis on the psyche and the hidden. Altogether, it makes for an incredibly rich and engaging narrative. One of the most entertaining mafia flicks I've seen in an extremely long time, mainly due to the mind-blowingly outstanding performances -- by the likes of Johnny Depp and the infamous Al Pacino, -- the entertaining dips and dives of the narrative, and the exquisitely sharp writing that throws a lot of comedic punches to the gut, all the while having a sober basis on reality. "Donnie Brasco", with these elements done in grade-A fashion, manages to place itself as one of the most well-paced gangster movies of all time. Not once does the movie begin to outstay its welcome. There's not much more to talk about without giving out the vital details of the narrative. Everything within this film works. This is a pitch-perfect, immaculate B-movie mafia flick, coupled with real rich tension, characters the audience deeply sympathizes with, and a narrative that's buttery-smooth. "Donnie Brasco" is a much watch.
Super Reviewer
Undercover FBI agent Johnny Depp is taken under the wing of low level mobster Al Pacino and soon finds that the lines between his work and his personal life start to blur. Donnie Brasco is the true story of Joseph Pistone whose testimony resulted in hundreds of arrests within the New York Mafia in the late 1970s. Pacino plays the virtual opposite of Tony Montana in this warts and all depiction of life in the mob; he is a rather pathetic figure, little more than a flunky to self serving bosses within a world that's riddled with duplicity, treachery and hypocrisy. His partnership with Depp works really well as you start to feel the same sympathy for this shambling, dishevelled figure trying to get ahead without the intelligence or faculties to do so and the film is one of the first mainstream American films to tackle the implications of the work for a deep cover operative. Mike Newell's direction is maybe a little too slick so it was never going to challenge Goodfellas or The Godfather, but thanks to a fascinating true life story that's expertly performed it's a minor classic and worthy forerunner to the likes of The Departed and American Gangster.
Super Reviewer
Donnie Brasco Quotes
| Lefty Ruggiero: | I never said you were a rat. You's my best friend! |
| Lefty Ruggiero: | If you're a rat, then I'm the biggest f***ing mutt in the history of the maffia. |
| Donnie Brasco/Joe Pistone: | Forget about it. |
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