By TeeJay Small | Published
Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I've always loved crime dramas since I was old enough to walk. The same movies Goodfellas again Casinoand TV shows like The Sopranos again Breaking Bad I've always been called, so it's rare for me to find a crowd film that I don't already know. One such movie, Donnie Brascoit's been on my must-watch list for years, although the time has never been right for me to catch it on air. That is, until it was recently uploaded to Netflix, when I was finally given the chance to sit down and take it all in.
Donnie Brasco is a 1997 biopic about an undercover FBI agent named Joseph Pistone, who infiltrates the Bonanno crime family in the 1970s. Pistone spent years posing as a prize thief, fixer, and eventually turned mobster, eventually blurring the lines of his loyalties to both the police and criminals. The film is written by The house Paul Attanasio, and directed by Mike Newell. It features a stellar cast including Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Paul Giamatti, and Tony Lip, who served as inspiration in 2018. The Green Book.
The film begins in 1978, when Pistone (Johnny Depp) first takes over the identity of Donnie Brasco. Using his contact Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), he breaks into New York's organized crime scene, and makes his living by counterfeiting watches, beating up low-level criminals, and extorting cars in exchange for protection payments. Before long, Donnie is named the new “it” man in the group, and climbs the ladder as an enforcer for de facto leader Sonny Black (Michael Madsen).
Unfortunately, Sonny's soft spot for Donnie doesn't extend to Lefty, and the two begin to feel a strain in their true friendship. As Donnie continues to rise through the ranks, he abuses his connections with the FBI to bring down the entire operation, as his absence damages his relationship with his wife and family. Eventually, Donnie gathers enough wiretapping evidence to lay more than 200 charges and 100 convictions, effectively ending the Bonanno family crime syndicate.
Donnie Brasco is a fascinating character study about a real-life crime investigation, although Al Pacino's Lefty really steals the show. Lefty's character is an example of many of the same principles that were later tested and eliminated by. The Sopranos. His failure to save for retirement, an old-fashioned worldview, and the constant fear of betrayal by his friends serve as the driving forces behind his friendship with a police officer, which exposes his entire world. In 2026, you could almost make an argument for that The Infiltrator makes the narrative better, but no one holds a candle to Pacino's performance.
I'm glad I can finally cross Donnie Brasco on my list, even if it doesn't stand up to the classics as always The Godfather or They are gone. Either way, you'll want to check this one out if you're a fan of crime thrillers and mob stories. Donnie Brasco is currently streaming on Netflix.
