Movies I've Missed Until Now: Donnie Brasco (1997)

I love gangster movies, by which I mean the classics from the Thirties, Forties, and Fifties. I enjoy gangster movies made after that, too, as long as they’re about those earlier decades. But when it comes to stories about organized crime set after the late Forties, those are a lot more hit-and-miss for me. The closer you get to the present day, the less I’m likely to enjoy them. Movies like that set from the Seventies onward, I consider mobster movies, rather than classic gangster movies. I don’t know if that makes sense to you, but it does to me.

So I definitely took a wait-and-see attitude toward DONNIE BRASCO, a 1997 movie set in 1978. It’s based on the true story of an undercover cop named Joseph Pistone who creates the fictional identity of Donnie Brasco, a low-level fence and would-be wise guy, in order to infiltrate the mob. He becomes friends with a mid-level hood named Lefty Ruggiero and works his way up in the organization. Lots of suspense ensues as Pistone constantly walks a fine line between doing his job, not having his true identity discovered, and being drawn deeper and deeper into the violent world of organized crime. There’s some domestic drama, too, as the strains of being undercover begin to affect Pistone’s marriage.

A movie like this is going to rise and fall largely on the acting. Johnny Depp plays Joseph Pistone/Donnie Brasco. I realize Depp can be sort of a polarizing figure, but I’ve always enjoyed his work and I think he does a good job in this one. Al Pacino plays Lefty Ruggiero and is, well, Al Pacino. I can’t fault his performance, and I really feel for the character at times because he’s kind of a sad sack, but I’m just not a big Pacino fan and never will be. Elsewhere, Michael Madsen and Bruno Kirby play wise guys because of course they do, and they’re fine. The movie perks right along, and I enjoyed it. Not a classic by any means, but I’m glad I watched it.