Donnie Brasco (Special Edition)

Product Description:
Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) is an FBI mole who integrates himself into the Mafia pecking order by posing as "jewel man" Donnie Brasco. He finds his loyalties divided when Lefty Ruggiero, a jaded hit man, takes him on as a protoge and places real trust in him. The two men form a friendship--and a criminal partnership--that jeopardizes Brasco's mission and obscures the boundaries between the law and the underworld. The film is based on the autobiography DONNIE BRASCO, MY UNDERCOVER LIFE IN THE MAFIA by former undercover agent Joseph D. Pistone. Directed by Mike Newell (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) and also starring Bruno Kirby (THE FRESHMAN, THIS IS SPINAL TAP), Michael Madsen (RESERVOIR DOGS) and Anne Heche (WAG THE DOG).

Amazon.com:
Based on a memoir by former undercover cop Joe Pistone (whose daring and unprecedented infiltration of the New York Mob scene earned him a place in the federal witness protection program), Donnie Brasco is like a de- romanticized, de-mythologized version of The Godfather. It offers an uncommonly detailed, privileged glimpse inside the world of organized crime from the perspective of the little guys at the bottom of Mafia hierarchy rather than from the kingpins at the top. Donnie Brasco is not only one of the great modern-day gangster movies to put in the company of The Godfather films andGoodFellas, but it is also one of the great undercover police movies--arguably surpassing Serpico and Prince of the City in richness of character, detail, and moral complexity. Donnie (Johnny Depp, a splendid actor) is practically adopted by Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a gregarious, low-level "made" man who grows to love his young protégé like a son. (Pacino really sinks into this guy's skin and polyester slacks, and creates his freshest, most fully realized character since his 1970s heyday.) As Donnie acclimates himself to Lefty's world, he distances himself from his wife (a terrific Anne Heche) and family for their own protection. Almost imperceptibly his sense of identity slips away from him. Questioning his own confused loyalties, unable to trust anybody else because he himself is an imposter, Donnie loses his way in a murky and treacherous no-man's land. The film is directed by Mike Newell, who also headed up Four Weddings and a Funeral and the gritty, true crime melodrama Dance with a Stranger. --Jim Emerson

Stills from Donnie Brasco (click for larger image)







Beyond Donnie Brasco on Amazon.com

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - "I'm not like them---I am them."
How did I miss this film for twelve years? As a Pacino fan, a Johnny Depp fan, and a mobster movie addict, it's nothing short of amazing that I only watched DONNIE BRASCO for the first time this week.

My only complaint about DONNIE BRASCO is that it's too short and light. Another fifteen minutes of screen time would have deepened the characters immensely. DONNIE BRASCO doesn't do a great job of capturing the ambience of the late 70s, but it's a relatively minor flaw in an otherwise ... Read More
Rating: - Lefty And "Don The Jeweler"
As real as it gets and the ultimate mafia film based on the real life story of undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone. Two of Hollywood's great character actors go at it head to head in a life of syndicate crime in the big city, - Al Pacino and Johnny Depp give outstanding gangster performances as Lefty Ruggiero(Pacino) and Joe Pistone, alias - Don the jeweler(Depp),and Pistone's wife is played out brilliantly by Anne Heche, and a fine surrounding supporting cast gives us a realistic idea what it takes ... Read More
Rating: - Pacino and Depp in an under-rated Mob movie
Usually when one thinks of Mafia movies, only the name of Scorsese and Coppola come up, but not this movie directed by the Brit Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; The Awakening). Once again Pacino plays a mob figure but still it's quite different from Michael Corleone and Tony Montana--he's Lefty Ruggero, a small time loser/hood who hasn't quite achieved status in the mob, who has a girlfriend and a son who is a junkie.Into his world comes Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) who poses as a jewel ... Read More
Rating: - Donnie Brasco Movie ~ DVD
WOW!!! To these two actors!! This movie really brings out Johnny Depps acting ability.If you like Goodfellows you will absolutely love this movie.Grab a bowl of popcorn, a soda, and get ready for the adventure it takes you one.Mafia at it's best.
Rating: - This is pretty much the worst movie I've ever seen
This was one of the worst movies I've ever seen.The dialog was unbearable.I felt embarrassed for the director, actors, etc. as I watched it.I can't believe a piece of trash like this has gotten such good reviews.Aside from unrealistic plot points, idiotic characters, and ugly script, there are simple technical mistakes, including a camera flash going off during the scene when Madsen threatens to 'wack' Depp.Also there are several continuity errors through the film that made me literally cringe. ... Read More