Donnie Brasco
1997
****
Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, Anne Heche, Zeljko Ivanek, Gerry Becker, Rocco Sisto, Brian Tarantina
In 1978, an FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone infiltrates the mob under the alias Donnie Brasco. Donnie becomes deeply embedded in the criminal underworld, but after years undercover, he begins to lose sense of his own self. This terrific crime drama offers a less glamorous view of the life of a gangster, much like The Sopranos on TV. Johnny Depp is solid in the lead and Al Pacino gives a wonderfully low-key performance as his mentor. Adapted from the 1988 book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley.
