Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, Anne Heche.
Well, someone had to wrest the monopoly on gangster movies from the hands of Scorsese
and Coppola, so why not get Mike Newell, of Four Weddings and a Funeral fame,
to direct? And why not put Johnny Depp in a starring role? And Anne Heche
-- you know, Ellen's girlfriend -- as his wife!? It sounds bizarre, but put this
group together with Monster of Acting Pacino and Quiz Show scribe Paul Attanasio
and you've got a pleasant surprise on your hands (not to mention one of the longest-running
films at the box office this year). Long stuck in development because of Goodfellas,
Donnie Brasco is in many ways a similar film, and in most of them better. The
true story of FBI agent Joe Pistone, who in the late Seventies infiltrated his way
into the New York mafia to become a "made man" under the name of Donnie
Brasco, Depp is surprisingly believable as an earnest father caught up in the mob
mentality. Pacino shines as always, though it's not his usual character; here he's
a tragic King Lear who just can't catch a break. But as for the iffy pan-and-scan
job on the videotape, take a cue from the wiseguys: Fuggedaboudit.
--Christopher Null
Full Length Reviews
Donnie Brasco 
Capsule Reviews
Donnie Brasco 
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