Donnie Brasco |  | Director: Mike Newell
Actors: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $16.95
as of 2/9/2010 23:29 EST details
You Save: $10.00 (37%)
New (1) Used (5) from $9.58
Seller: snapyrus
Rating:  169 reviews
Sales Rank: 173886
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 127 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 076780256X
UPC: 043396825154
EAN: 9780767802567
ASIN: 076780256X
Theatrical Release Date: February 28, 1997
Release Date: January 20, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Based on a memoir by former undercover cop Joe Pistone (whose daring and unprecedented infiltration of the New York Mob scene earned him a place in the federal witness protection program), Donnie Brasco is like a de-romanticized, de-mythologized version of The Godfather. It offers an uncommonly detailed, privileged glimpse inside the world of organized crime from the perspective of the little guys at the bottom of Mafia hierarchy rather than from the kingpins at the top. Donnie Brasco is not only one of the great modern-day gangster movies to put in the company of The Godfather films and GoodFellas, but it is also one of the great undercover police movies--arguably surpassing Serpico and Prince of the City in richness of character, detail, and moral complexity. Donnie (Johnny Depp, a splendid actor) is practically adopted by Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a gregarious, low-level "made" man who grows to love his young protégé like a son. (Pacino really sinks into this guy's skin and polyester slacks, and creates his freshest, most fully realized character since his 1970s heyday.) As Donnie acclimates himself to Lefty's world, he distances himself from his wife (a terrific Anne Heche) and family for their own protection. Almost imperceptibly his sense of identity slips away from him. Questioning his own confused loyalties, unable to trust anybody else because he himself is an imposter, Donnie loses his way in a murky and treacherous no-man's land. The film is directed by Mike Newell, who also headed up Four Weddings and a Funeral and the gritty, true crime melodrama Dance with a Stranger. --Jim Emerson
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 169
 A complete triumph in every respect... January 14, 2010
Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Color me surprised, but this movie was downright fantastic. I really expected something so much less than what I received. Instead, what I found was a deeply moving, completely engrossing, totally organic and convincing portrait of the grit that is the life of crime AND the life of those who try and prevent it. With comparisons to `The Godfather' and `GoodFellas', `Donnie Brasco' is the type of film that really had to deliver in order to make any sort of impact.
Personally, `Donnie Brasco' blows `GoodFellas' out of the water.
Based on the real life memoirs of Joe Pistone, `Donnie Brasco' centers around the world of Joe (or Donnie), an ambitious undercover cop who infiltrates the New York mob scene when he gets placed under the wing of Benjamin `Lefty' Ruggiero, a `made man' who takes a liking (almost paternal) to Donnie. As Donnie gets deeper and deeper into this world of which he is trying to expose, he finds his personal life slipping away from him. Soon, his family is torn in two as his wife begins to resent him for his involvement and before he knows it, he has become the very thing he has sworn to destroy.
I have made it pretty clear that I personally feel Al Pacino has wasted his talent pretty much as soon as the 70's ended. He is one of those actors who was SO good and then suddenly became nothing more than a cliché. He is nearly irrelevant today. That said, his performance in `Donnie Brasco' is a work of genius. I just cannot believe that this is AL PACINO. He really reaches back to his glory days and delivers an outstanding portrayal of a man intent of surviving yet never so much that he loses touch of what makes him human. Watching Lefty interact with the ruthless people around him brings an odd fascination. Lefty seems almost like an outcast. He is strong and certainly authentic, but he feels almost too warm at times, which adds to his character's remarkable development (such a superbly crafted sympathetic character that never grates on clichéd manipulative sentiments).
I've also made it pretty clear that I consider Johnny Depp an overrated actor. So many consider him the `it' guy today. It is very cool to like Johnny Depp, but personally he hasn't delivered a strong performance for me in many years. I was hesitant to watch this film because I am not a fan of either Pacino or Depp, but I must say that this may be Depp's finest performance to date (I adore him in `Benny and Joon', but the depth he brings to Donnie is completely remarkable). There is a loneliness that Depp captures, perfectly depicting the descention his character is making into that dark hole that is his profession.
Like I said, color me surprised.
With outstanding supporting performances by Anne Heche and Michael Madsen, not to mention a memorable turn from Bruno Kirby (so underrated in his day as a supporting player), `Donnie Brasco' is an acting triumph. Not just that, it is marvelously scripted to completely engage the audience. The film has so much grit and realism. You can really see both sides of this world, and the film makes no attempts to glamorize of paint this `life' as something jovial. Mike Newell's direction is stellar, completely capturing the emotional as well as the visual impact of the subject.
I don't think enough words can be said in complete praise and admiration of this film. It is simply outstanding in all respects.
Depp=Awesome December 10, 2009
D. Stokes (philly)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Johnny Depp is one of the best actors of his generation. This is a must own blu-ray.
Donnie Brasco December 7, 2009
MARCOLA (Somewhere in Time...)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I would say this is one of Al Pacino's best since the GODFATHER.
If you like Mafia flicks this one would be good one to go in your collection!!
I give this movie a 5 of 5 stars!!
Again --I LOVE JOHNNY December 1, 2009
Evetia Y. Diaz (MI)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
GREAT MOVIE, GREAT PRICE, GREAT SERVICE. !! Johnny Deppy and Al Pacino!!....need I say more. Best gangsta movie out there!!!!
 Great movie, great bluray, not so great extended cut October 31, 2009
Michael Wide (Stockholm, Sweden)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Many reviews here seem to be only about the movie, not about the specific edition on bluray, so I thought I add a few comments on it. I've seen "Donnie Brasco" some twenty-odd times, so I was excited to get it on bluray. My impression? Well, the technical quality is really great: the picture is very much better than on the very good regular dvd's for sale (and the sound too, I guess, but I use headphones so I don't really know). The "extended cut", however, was a bit of a disappointment (note: at approx. 145 minutes, this version contains far more extra scenes than earlier versions). Only one or two instances of added material really added something to the story or movie as a whole, to my mind: most of it actually detracted from my experience of the movie - and not only because I'm so habituated to the regular version, I think. Still, even so it's a great gangster and psychological drama, with great acting: but if you already have the "Special edition" with the director's commentary etc (not included in the meagre extras on this bluray edition), you might want to wait for a new bluray release with the original cut. Trust me, sometimes less is really more.
Addition: I noticed now the same "extended cut" is apparently available on regular dvd too, so if you've seen that one you know what the problem is - the additions don't really add anything, but only disturb the careful pace and rhythm of the original version (and there is way too much lion...)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 169
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