Donnie Brasco (film)

{{For|the Spanish-language television series based on the film|El Dandy (TV series)}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Donnie Brasco

| image = Donnie brasco ver2.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Mike Newell

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| screenplay = Paul Attanasio

| based_on = {{Based on|Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia|Joseph D. Pistone
Richard Woodley}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Patrick Doyle

| cinematography = Peter Sova

| editing = Jon Gregory

| production_companies = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = {{Plainlist|

Sony Pictures Releasing (Select territories)
Summit Entertainment (International){{cite web|title=Mandalay on road with Summit|first=Dana|last=Harris|date=17 December 2001|access-date=19 October 2021|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/news/mandalay-on-road-with-summit-1117857477/|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028164056/https://variety.com/2001/film/news/mandalay-on-road-with-summit-1117857477/|url-status=live}}

}}

| released = {{Film date|1997|02|24|Century City, California|1997|02|28|United States}}

| runtime = 127 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $35 million{{cite web| title = Donnie Brasco (1997)| website = The Numbers| url = https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Donnie-Brasco#tab=summary| access-date = April 7, 2020| archive-date = June 19, 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200619084447/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Donnie-Brasco#tab=summary| url-status = live}}

| gross = $124.9 million{{cite web| title = Donnie Brasco (1997)| website = Box Office Mojo| url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donniebrasco.htm| access-date = February 13, 2010| archive-date = December 22, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091222200943/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donniebrasco.htm| url-status = live}}

}}

Donnie Brasco is a 1997 American crime drama film directed by Mike Newell and starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo and Anne Heche appear in supporting roles. The film, written by Paul Attanasio, is based on the 1988 nonfiction book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley.{{cite web| url = http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/oscarlegacy/1990-1999/70nominees.html| title = Nominees & Winners for the 70th Academy Awards | Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences| website = Oscars.org| access-date = May 6, 2012| archive-date = February 18, 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100218113916/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/oscarlegacy/1990-1999/70nominees.html| url-status = dead}}

The film is based on the true story of Pistone (Depp), an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family in New York City during the 1970s, under the alias Donnie Brasco, a jewel thief from Vero Beach, Florida. Brasco maneuvers his way into the confidence of an aging Mafia hitman, Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino), who vouches for him. As Donnie moves deeper into the Mafia, he realizes that not only is he crossing the line between federal agent and criminal, but also leading his friend Lefty to an almost certain death.

Donnie Brasco premiered in Century City on February 24, 1997, and was released on February 28, 1997, by TriStar Pictures. The film was a box-office success, earning $124.9 million against its $35 million budget, and received positive reviews from critics. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Plot

In 1978 New York City, Lefty Ruggiero, an aging enforcer in the Bonanno crime family, meets Joseph D. Pistone, a young undercover FBI agent posing as jewel thief "Donnie Brasco". Donnie insists that a diamond that Lefty has acquired from a strip club owner is fake; when the two confront the owner, Donnie beats him up and takes his car as repayment.

Lefty teaches Donnie the rules of the Mafia and introduces him to members of his crew, including Sonny Black, Nicky, Paulie and rival crew leader Sonny Red. After the boss of the Bonanno family is killed, Sonny Black is promoted to lead the crew; Lefty resents the decision, believing that his years of service make him more deserving. As the crew runs a series of successful shakedowns and hijackings in the city, Pistone exploits his position as an associate in Lefty's crew to gather information for the FBI via wiretap recordings. He also forms a genuine bond with Lefty, who is struggling with family issues, a lifetime of debt, and his perception of underappreciation in the crew.

Pistone is asked by his FBI supervisor to incorporate Miami-based undercover FBI Agent Richie Gazzo into the Donnie Brasco operation. He persuades Lefty to meet with Richie and set up an illegal gambling racket in a long-closed tavern that he owns. Lefty hopes to impress the local mob boss, Santo Trafficante Jr., by throwing a yacht party and persuading him to support his new business.

Sonny Black finds out about Lefty's plan and intercedes by ingratiating himself to Trafficante and officially taking Donnie under his wing. Lefty believes that Donnie has betrayed him and cuts ties with him until Lefty's son nearly dies of a drug overdose, and Donnie is the only one who comes to comfort him. Pistone's marriage with his wife Maggie continues to worsen due to long absences while undercover, leaving her alone to look after their three daughters. Pistone's behavior increasingly becomes more like that of the criminal who he pretends to be, even hitting Maggie when she argues with him.

On its opening day, Sonny Black's club is raided by corrupt Miami Police officers on Trafficante's payroll as a favor to Sonny Red. Suspecting a setup, Sonny Black and his crew return to New York and gun down Sonny Red and two other mobsters in an ambush. Lefty kills Nicky afterward for lying about a drug deal and because Sonny Black suspected that he snitched on the crew in Florida. Donnie is brought in to help clean up and dispose of the bodies.

Sonny Black becomes the new boss, and Lefty orders Donnie to kill Sonny Red's son Bruno so that Donnie can officially become a member of their family. As Lefty and Donnie stake out Bruno's hiding place, Donnie tries to offer money to Lefty to leave the Mafia, but Lefty begins questioning his loyalty at gunpoint. Before they can kill Bruno, the FBI arrests them both (to protect Donnie's cover) and end the investigation.

FBI agents visit Sonny Black's hangout and reveal Donnie's true identity to the crew. When Lefty is called to a meeting with his crew, he puts his valuables away for his girlfriend to find, knowing that he will be killed for letting an FBI agent infiltrate the Bonanno family. In a small private ceremony, Pistone receives a medal and a reward check of $500 for his service, and Maggie asks him to come home afterward.

The evidence collected by Pistone in the Donnie Brasco operation led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions. Pistone lives with his wife under an assumed name in an undisclosed location, with a $500,000 open contract on his head.

Cast

{{cast list|

Al Pacino as Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggiero
Johnny Depp as FBI Agent Joseph D. Pistone / Donnie Brasco
Michael Madsen as "Sonny Black"
Bruno Kirby as Nicky Santora
James Russo as Paulie (based on John "Boobie" Cersani)
Anne Heche as Maggie Pistone
Željko Ivanek as FBI Agent Tim Curley
Gerry Becker as FBI Agent Dean Blandford
Robert Miano as "Sonny Red"
Brian Tarantina as "Bruno" Indelicato
Rocco Sisto as FBI Agent Richie Gazzo
Zach Grenier as Dr. Berger
Walt MacPherson as Sheriff
Ronnie Farer as Annette
Larry Romano as Tommy Ruggiero
Terry Serpico as Strip Club Owner
Gretchen Mol as Sonny's Girlfriend
Tony Lip as "Philly Lucky"
George Angelica as "Big Trin"
Val Avery as Trafficante
Madison Arnold as "Jilly"
Tim Blake Nelson as FBI Technician
Paul Giamatti as FBI Technician

}}

Production

When Pistone's book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia was published in 1988, Louis DiGiaimo, who worked as a casting director for Barry Levinson, was a childhood acquaintance of Joseph D. Pistone, served as a consultant for the book, and bought the film rights.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XSuEcpk_P5YC&q=Stephen+Frears+donnie+brasco+goodfellas&pg=PA166|title=Depp|first=Christopher|last=Heard|date=May 4, 2001|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=9781550224702|via=Google Books|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=June 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240601133150/https://books.google.com/books?id=XSuEcpk_P5YC&q=Stephen+Frears+donnie+brasco+goodfellas&pg=PA166#v=snippet&q=Stephen%20Frears%20donnie%20brasco%20goodfellas&f=false|url-status=live}}[http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/27/donnie-brasco-15th-anniversary "Donnie Brasco 15th Anniversary: 25 Things You Didn't Know About Johnny Depp's Classic Mob Movie"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316232855/http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/27/donnie-brasco-15th-anniversary |date=2014-03-16 }}. The Moviefone Blog. DiGiaimo brought it to Levinson's Baltimore Pictures, as well as producers Mark Johnson and Gail Mutrux, who turned to Paul Attanasio to write the script.

Stephen Frears was initially hired as director for the film, but when Goodfellas, another mob film, was released in 1990, the planning for the film was pushed back. Frears was adamant about casting Pacino to play Lefty. After several years of development hell, Frears was eventually replaced with Mike Newell as director, and development picked up in 1996. Pacino and Depp were ultimately cast in the co-starring roles, and Pistone was hired as a consultant to help them develop their characters."Donnie Brasco: Out from the Shadows", featurette appearing on Donnie Brasco DVD

Releases

Donnie Brasco premiered in Century City, California, on February 24, 1997. It was given a wide release in North America on February 28, 1997. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 2, 1997.{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-looking-for-al-pacino-1268912.html|title=Film: Looking for Al Pacino|date=April 24, 1997|website=The Independent|access-date=May 4, 2020|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706194147/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-looking-for-al-pacino-1268912.html|url-status=live}}

Donnie Brasco was released on DVD in October 2000 as a "Special Edition" with bonus materials, such as commentary tracks. In January 2006, Donnie Brasco was released as part of a DVD box set with the films Snatch, Bugsy and The American Gangster. In May 2007, Donnie Brasco was released on Blu-ray with an extended cut.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/list.php?orderBy=Date&reviewType=All&searchText=donnie+brasco|title=DVD Talk > Reviews|website=www.dvdtalk.com|access-date=May 4, 2020|archive-date=June 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240601133151/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/search?orderBy=Date&reviewType=All&NReviews=50&adviceStart=&adviceEnd=&international=&searchText=donnie%20brasco&searchType=advanced|url-status=live}}

Reception

=Box office=

Donnie Brasco was released theatrically in North America on February 28, 1997. The film earned $11.6 million from 1,503 theaters during its opening weekend. It went on to earn $41.9 million in North America, and $83 million from other markets, for a total of $124.9 million.

=Critical response=

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Donnie Brasco has an approval rating of 88% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 7.70/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A stark, nuanced portrait of life in organized crime, bolstered by strong performances from Al Pacino and Johnny Depp."{{cite web

|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/donnie_brasco/

|title=Donnie Brasco (1997)

|website=Rotten Tomatoes

|publisher=Fandango Media

|access-date=February 11, 2024

|archive-date=November 27, 2017

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127042901/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/donnie_brasco/

|url-status=live

}} Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average, rates the film a 77 out of 100, based on 21 critics, and reports that the film has "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web

|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/donnie-brasco

|title=Donnie Brasco Reviews

|website=Metacritic

|publisher=CBS Interactive

|access-date=February 11, 2024

|archive-date=February 19, 2018

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219065404/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/donnie-brasco

|url-status=live

}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on a scale of A+ to F.{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com/|title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "Donnie Brasco" in the search box|publisher=CinemaScore|access-date=March 12, 2020|archive-date=January 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102130540/https://www.cinemascore.com/|url-status=live}}

Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it "a sharp, clever encounter, overturning all manner of genre cliches and viewer expectations... and the best crime movie in a long while, is full of similar surprises as it leads Mr. Pacino and Johnny Depp through a fine-tuned tale of deception."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/28/movies/al-pacino-as-gangster-a-guy-who-s-not-wise.html|title=Al Pacino as Gangster, A Guy Who's Not Wise|first=Janet|last=Maslin|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 28, 1997|access-date=May 4, 2020|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018150107/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/28/movies/al-pacino-as-gangster-a-guy-who-s-not-wise.html|url-status=live}}

Entertainment Weekly called it a "wonderfully dense, clever, and moving gangland thriller", and gave it an A−, also praising Paul Attanasio's screenplay as "a rich, satisfying gumbo of back stabbing, shady business maneuvers, and mayhem".{{cite news

| last = Gleiberman

| first = Owen

| title = Rev. of Donnie Brasco (1997)

| newspaper = Entertainment Weekly

| date = March 17, 1997

| url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,286975,00.html

| access-date = December 21, 2009

| archive-date = April 21, 2009

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090421160148/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,286975,00.html

| url-status = dead

}}

Siskel and Ebert gave Donnie Brasco "two thumbs up" on their syndicated television series.{{cite web

|url= http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/atm/reviews.html?sec=6&subsec=donnie+brasco

|title=Donnie Brasco

|publisher=At the Movies

|access-date=June 7, 2010

}}

In his print review, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three-and-a-half stars out of four. He wrote that "the film had one of Pacino's best performances", and that Donnie Brasco was rare in depicting "two men who grow to love each other, within the framework of a teacher-student relationship".{{cite web

|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/donnie-brasco-1997

|title=Donnie Brasco

|publisher=Chicago Sun-Times

|access-date=13 February 2021

|archive-date=January 27, 2021

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127202621/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/donnie-brasco-1997

|url-status=live

}}

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised the film, saying that "Donnie Brasco is one terrific movie".{{cite web

|author=Peter Travers

|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/donnie-brasco-19970228

|title=Donnie Brasco | Movie Reviews

|publisher=Rolling Stone

|date=February 28, 1997

|access-date=May 6, 2012

|archive-date=September 20, 2011

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920071029/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/donnie-brasco-19970228

|url-status=live

}}

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a positive review and said that Donnie Brasco was "a first class Mafia thriller".{{cite web

|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/02/28/DD24919.DTL

|title=Guns and Roses / Pacino, Depp mob thriller 'Donnie Brasco' adds love triangle to the payoff

|author=Mick LaSalle

|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle

|date=February 28, 1997

|access-date=June 19, 2011

|archive-date=October 11, 2008

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011060204/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/02/28/DD24919.DTL

|url-status=live

}}

Critics especially praised Depp's performance. A Salon.com review hailed Depp's performance as "sensational".{{cite news

| last = Taylor

| first = Charles

| title = Donnie Brasco: With Al Pacino and Johnny Depp in top form, "Donnie Brasco" is smarter than the average mob movie.

| website = Salon.com

| date = March 28, 1997

| url = http://www.salon.com/1997/03/28/brasco/

| access-date = August 21, 2014

| archive-date = August 21, 2014

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140821151631/http://www.salon.com/1997/03/28/brasco/

| url-status = live

}}

New York Magazine called Depp "graceful" and found his acting highly believable. "We can believe that the mob might take him for a tough, ambitious young hood—he has the wariness and the self-confidence that creates an aura."{{cite news

| last = Denby

| first = David

| title = Movies: The Sting

| newspaper = New York Magazine

| pages = 55–56

| date = March 17, 1997

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=u-gCAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Donnie+Brasco%22+depp&pg=PA55

| access-date = December 21, 2009

| archive-date = June 1, 2024

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240601133151/https://books.google.com/books?id=u-gCAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Donnie+Brasco%22+depp&pg=PA55#v=snippet&q=%22Donnie%20Brasco%22%20depp&f=false

| url-status = live

}}

According to Charles Taylor in his review for Salon.com, both Pacino and Depp are "in top form"; in remarking on Pacino's frequent collaborations with younger actors (Sean Penn, John Cusack), Taylor called Donnie Brasco "the best in this series of duets" and singled out Pacino's skills: "His final scene is all the more heartbreaking for the economy of gesture and feeling he brings it. It's an exit that does justice to both the actor and the role, and it leaves an ache in the movie."

Entertainment Weekly reserved its highest praise for Pacino: "If Donnie Brasco belongs to any actor, though, it's Al Pacino."

The Playlist called it one of Pacino's best performances, writing, "Though Scent of A Woman, Two Bits and even (relatively) Heat showcased Pacino at his most exuberantly grandiose, Brasco brings him back to a performance of stealth and nuance."The Playlist. The Essentials: Al Pacino's Best Performances