Donnie Brasco
1 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and identifies more with the mafia life at the expense of his regular one.
What critics thought
Critics broadly embraced Donnie Brasco as a gangster film that sidesteps genre conventions, finding its real power in the bond between its two leads rather than in violence or spectacle. Depp's undercover agent drew particular attention for its internal tension, while Pacino's restrained, low-status mobster was seen by many as a deliberate and welcome corrective to his more operatic work elsewhere. The source material contains almost no dissent — the debate, such as it is, runs between those who credit Depp with carrying the film and those who insist Pacino is its true anchor.
“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”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“wonderfully dense, clever, and moving gangland thriller”
Entertainment Weekly
“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.”
Charles Taylor·Salon.com
“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
“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.”
New York
Genres
Biography, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorMike Newell
StarringJohnny Depp, Al Pacino, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo
ComposerPatrick Doyle
Donnie Brasco
1 Oscar Nominations
An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and identifies more with the mafia life at the expense of his regular one.
What critics thought
Critics broadly embraced Donnie Brasco as a gangster film that sidesteps genre conventions, finding its real power in the bond between its two leads rather than in violence or spectacle. Depp's undercover agent drew particular attention for its internal tension, while Pacino's restrained, low-status mobster was seen by many as a deliberate and welcome corrective to his more operatic work elsewhere. The source material contains almost no dissent — the debate, such as it is, runs between those who credit Depp with carrying the film and those who insist Pacino is its true anchor.
“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”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“wonderfully dense, clever, and moving gangland thriller”
Entertainment Weekly
“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.”
Charles Taylor·Salon.com
“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
“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.”
New York
Genres
Biography, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorMike Newell
StarringJohnny Depp, Al Pacino, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo
ComposerPatrick Doyle
Rent/Purchase