Director Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather movies of the early 1970s began a fine tradition of chronicling the fictional (and not-so-fictional) exploits of Italian mafioso. Alongside this mob-movie tradition arose a parallel tradition of great acting. In The Godfather, the torch was passed from Marlon Brando to his fictional son, Al Pacino, premiering the young actor's career as a Hollywood gangster. In The Godfather Part II, Robert DeNiro joined the ranks of these fictional mafiosi as well, revising the role of a mobster in Martin Scorsese's 1990 blockbuster, GoodFellas. In Donnie Brasco, the first mafia creation of director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and A Funeral), the silver screen Mafia family has come full circle.
Donnie Brasco is based on the true story of undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone (Johnny Depp) who infiltrates one of New York's most powerful crime organizations by finding the good graces of struggling hitman Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino). Lef-ty quickly takes Pist-one, a.k.a. Donnie Bras-co, under his wing and introduces him to the world of organized crime, staking his reputation and his life on his new apprentice.
After Depp received three straight Golden Globe nominations for his performances in Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands and Benny & Joon, many in the movie industry and the press had hyped him as Hollywood's fastest rising star. Many who remember Depp from his days on Fox's teenage cop show, "21 Jumpstreet," may doubt that this kid is for real. In the title role of his latest film, however, Depp's star has finally risen, and his detractors may finally believe the hype.
Depp gives an academy-award caliber performance, establishing himself one of the finest actors of the twenty-something generation. In a little over two hours, Depp's character undergoes an incredible transformation from a loyal father and federal agent to a man who is forced to leave behind the FBI and his family to save Lefty, who has become like a father to him.
Depp achieves his dual role with the skill of a veteran actor, combining the parts of both Joe Pistone and Donnie Brasco into a brilliantly smooth performance. From the moment the audience meets Donnie Brasco, they believe that he is a mobster-in-training, but Depp is constantly able to retain the duality of his character. The few scenes during which Depp is strictly Joe Pistone, he makes it easy to believe that behind the dark facade of Donnie, there is a caring family man and righteous FBI agent. Depp's duality comes to a head when he is forced to decide between his two lives.
The young superstar's performance would not be complete without the complement of Al Pacino, though, for whom the film's producers held up the film. Pacino, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Godfather Part II, not only acts as Depp's fictional mentor in the film, but their relationship symbolizes a changing of the guard in Hollywood.
This is not your typical Pacino gangster role, however. As opposed to the Mafia royalty portrayed in the Godfather films, Donnie Brasco portrays the lowest rungs of the Mafia world. Pacino's character, Lefty, is what most Jewish grandmothers would call a schlemiel, a perpetual loser who never seems to get his big break. The way in which Pacino is able to express the duality in his own characte's personality mirrors Depp's performance.
Pacino's character is an aging, caustic hit-man, who at first seems invulnerable to the dangers of the world in which he lives. By vouching for Donnie and opening himself up to him, Pacino's character shows his own personal weaknesses and fallibilites. Even though he plays a gangster, Pacino's performance evokes empathy from the audience, who feel like they, too are receiving fatherly lessons from Lefty on how to be a good Mafia soldier.
This emotion comes through in a dramatic scene when Lefty is sent for by fellow mafioso Sonny Black (Michael Madsen), and he explains to his young acolyte that when a mafioso is "sent for," even by his friends, it usually means he is going to be killed.
Madsen, best known for his role as Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs, also turns in an impressive performance as Lefty's younger colleague who gains control of their gang. Although his violent nature is similar to his role in Tarantino's film, this character takes Madsen to new ground. Sonny Black's cold yet confident leadership style contrasts well with Pacino's performance as the emotional, caring mentor.
The only weak performace was turned in by newcomer Anne Heche, who plays Pistone's wife, Maggie. The scenes between Heche and Depp seem forced, and Maggie's lack of sympathy for the rigors of her husband's undercover assignment is hard to believe. Perhaps it's the lack of development for her character in the story, originally written by her character's real-life huband, but the audience never really understands the motivation behind her anger.
Great mob movies are the ones that delve underneath the surface toughness of these men and expose their emotions and motivations. For this film, British director Newell, who spent time with Brooklyn gangsters in preparation for the film, provides the fresh perspective of a cultural outsider. It is obvious in the finished product that Newell approached these men as human beings, and he is able to successfully portray the loyalty and discipline which are in inherent in the mafia.
The audience almost takes over the role of Donnie Brasco, experiencing the journey into the Mafia world as an outsider who has been welcomed into this circle of gangsters with open arms. Newell provides a powerful omniscience to the story, giving the audience the knowledge of Brasco's true identity. Subtly, Newell uses this knowledge to benefit and strengthen the interaction between his characters. One of the finest examples of this is the scene when the mobsters are informed that Donnie Brasco is actually an FBI agent.
The camera moves in on Madsen, Pacino and James Russo, as they stand on the streetcorner outside their hangout. They all avoid each other's eyes as they stare off into the distance, and Madsen denies that the information about Brasco could possibly be true. However, the audience knows that this is for Lefty's benefit, because by introducing Brasco into their gang, he put his his reputation and his life on the line.
What may surprise many is the ease with which a Brit such as Newell is able to illustrate the foreign world of the American Mafia. Because he is not Italian or American for that matter, Newell provides a more objective picture of this world, and he is as successful as Coppola or Scorsese at making his audience care about the otherwise despicable men which he portrays.
Every aspect of Newell's film, which was co-produced by Barry Levinson (Bugsy), captures the world of the Mafia. The costumes, the settings and the dialect make this Mafia gang come alive. In the Brooklyn setting, the colors of their clothes are mostly greys, browns and blacks, most of the camera shots are fairly geometric-set against a warehouse or a streetcorner. However, when the gangsters are in Florida, the colors are brighter and ths camera shots are more open and natural.
Donnie Brasco provides a total package of acting, directing and producing. Not only will this rank as one of the great Mafia films of this decade, but Donnie Brasco is a serious early contender for next year's Academy Awards. Aside from the award aspirations for this film, however, it allows the audience to see the wonderful versatility of Pacino and Depp and to witness the dawning of a truly successful career for the boy from "21 Jump Street."
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