Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to Donnie (1997)I can not fault anything in this movie. It's just short of perfect for me!! I revisit this at least once a year, sometimes more. It has it all, a great soundtrack scenes with the tension racked up to the maximum, violence and moments of unexpected humour. The acting here is superb. You expect it from Pacino who is on familiar ground. But Depp absolutely nails it in this movie. He was always great back then, and here is no exception. Michael Madsen does not disappoint and neither does Bruno Kirby, James Russo or Anne Heche. If Donnie Brasco belongs to any actor, though, it's Al Pacino. Long before he was a loud, screaming caricature of himself Pacino was in top form here, and should have been nominated for an Oscar!! His final scene is all the more heartbreaking for the feeling he brings it. It's an exit that does justice to both the actor and the role. I think it's some of Pacino's best acting and it is without dialogue. This was the highest crowd I had seen at a Johnny Depp movie at the time. and it was still only half full.Donnie Brasco was the first Depp movie since Benny & Joon in 1993 (6 movies in 4 years) to make back its budget at the domestic box office. As it grossed $41 million at the domestic box office to end the year the 54th highest grossing movie of the year and become Depp's third-biggest grosser.

Donnie Brasco kicked off the Donnie series in 1997, with Donnie Darko following four years later. One morbid scene was the much-discussed Japanese restaurant where Donnie and his cronies beat up the maitre'd because he insisted Donnie remove his shoes. I wonder what the casting call was for this, an actor of Asian appearance, preferably nerdy and flabby looking, willing to take a few blows for verisimilitude. I mean really, thankfully Donnie and his cronies didn't take their anger to a McDonald's lest Ronald be beaten up in the presence of Mayor McCheese and the rest of the McDonald's gang. Really, can you imagine if this incident had taken place in a German beerhouse? I don't think so...I imagine the beefy ultra-nationalists in the beerhouse wouldn't take any crap from Brasco et al.

Just watching the end, where Joe Pistone aka. Donnie Brasco, received a big cheque, ones in sizes you can't cash at banks, to the value of 500 hundred dollars, and a medal of commendation, what he went through, prefore, those years of undercover work, leads you to ask "Is it all worth it?" My opinion. No. Because it was his quality of family life, and normal life that suffered. I had heard the real Joe Pistone, tell quite a terrifying tale, which had him in another room, where two mafia guys were fifty fifty about him, and were having a discussion on whether to whack him, where Joe heard the whole tale. Now, put yourself in this situation, you can imagine. Depp, plays the real life Pistone, again to polished perfection, who went undercover as Don the jeweler, and was taken in by Lefty, (a feared mafia man, who becomes a pathetic pussy later on, as his status deteriorates, where Sonny (Michael Madsen, doing what he does best, smiling and looking intimidating with those mannerisms, we love) one of Lefty's gang, replaced him. It's really hard to rate Madsen's performance in this. The other two of Lefty's mob are played by Bruno Kirby and James Russo. Russo really surprised me actually. He's hasn't done work this good for a long time. Pacino as Lefty is just another masterpiece of a performance. I mean, what else can I say? He really carved out this real life character so deep, especially playing the pitiable part well, where Donnie seems to be his real only friend. Anne Heche is great as Depp's suffering wife, and is sexy too, as well as being a great actress. Violence wise, it's only violent when it needs to be, but when it happens, when the blood sprays, it's strong. In particular I'm taking about one scene, before human dismemberment, takes place. This is very smartly modified, as the visuals could of been much worse. Here's just another well told mafia tale, with great acting and writing. In contrast, bits of this one I familiarize with the current Black Mass, with Depp on the other end of the law. But what you really get out of this film, is how scary going over cover is, and Lefty's mob aren't idiots. Check out Pacino's remark about cooks, and his shock revelation, concerning his ill heath in the nether region.

When you have two seasoned actors who have given legendary performances over the course of their careers, you are guaranteed to have a stellar movie. In Donnie Brasco, we have Johnny Depp and Al Pacino in the leading roles that is based on the real-life Johnny Pistone, an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates the mafia in order to gain evidence that lead to their arrests. It is a typical mafia movie that is inspired by Goodfellas. We get to see the human side of these horrible people. Johnny Depp is unbelievably good as he is laconic yet assertive and someone who always has the sense of control. A truly mesmerizing performance that must be one of the best seen in modern cinema. Al Pacino plays a real life gangster Lefty. Pacino plays his role with his usual flair and propensity to scream.The story is quite fulfilling and shows the effects that a person leading a double life has. It does not intend to show Johnny Pistone as a hero but as a regular person who is devoted to his job.Donnie Brasco is a must-watch due to its chillingly realistic depiction of the ruthless mafia.