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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Joseph D. Pistone (book) and
Richard Woodley (book) ...
more
Release Date:
28 February 1997 (USA) more
Tagline:
Donnie Brasco. Based On A True Story. more
Plot:
An FBI undercover agent infilitrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life to the expense of his regular one. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(49 articles)
Alan Greenspan Joins Cork Media Panel
(From IFTN. 4 November 2009, 11:26 PM, PST)
International Trailer: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
(From HeyUGuys. 3 November 2009, 2:44 AM, PST)
User Comments:
An absorbing, well made gangster movie. more (178 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)Additional Details
Also Known As:
Donnie Brasco (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Brasco (Argentina) [es]
Donnie Brasco (Portugal) [pt]
Donnie Brasco (Italy) [it]
Donnie Brasco (Greece) [el]
Donnie Brasco (France) [fr]
Donnie Brasco (Spain) [es]
Donnie Brasco (Slovenia) [sl]
Donnie Brasco (Croatia) [hr]
Fake (Japan: English title) [en]
Köstebek (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Krycí jméno Donnie Brasco (Czech Republic) [cs]
Operaatio Donnie Brasco (Finland) [fi]
more
MPAA:
Rated R for some strong graphic violence, pervasive strong language and brief nudity and sexuality.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
127 min | 147 min (extended cut)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #34334) | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Canada:18A (video rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (bw) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18
Filming Locations:
59th Street Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA more
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
During a two day break in filming, Michael Madsen impulsively proposed to and married DeAnna Madsen. According to Madsen, when he told Al Pacino, Pacino was disgusted with Madsen's impulsiveness. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Maggie's cap changes when she enters the house after shoveling snow. more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (1999) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
What You Won't Do for Love more
FAQ
What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Extended Cut?more
more (178 total)
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Mike Newell is the weirdest choice for director of a Mafia drama, but he actually makes a terrific fist of it, delivering one of the very best gangster movies ever made. Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Anne Heche and Michael Madsen are all in top form in front of the camera, too.
Depp plays undercover FBI agent Joseph Pistone in this intriguing true story. Pistone is trying to infiltrate his way into a mob family in order to gather evidence against them. He assumes the identity of "Donnie Brasco" and slowly but surely earns the love and trust of an old-pro hit-man named Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino). As the months go by, Pistone's marriage begins to fall apart as he is away from his wife (Heche) pretty much all the time. The line between his real life and his undercover life blurs together and he finds himself dangerously close to being seduced by the violent Mob lifestyle.
Donnie Brasco is an extraordinary film in many ways. As already mentioned, the performances are note-perfect. But there's so much more to it than that. The late 70s period details are impeccably captured; the dialogue is extraordinarily raw and realistic; the moral dilemma facing Depp is achingly, agonisingly conveyed. It's such a powerful picture, completely involving, that by the end you find yourself wrapped up in Pistone's predicament, asking yourself what decisions you would make in the same circumstances. Very few movies genuinely inspire you to debate the whats, whys and wherefores of the main character and his actions... but with Donnie Brasco, that's just what you'll find yourself doing.