Donnie Brasco

Day 179 - 6/28/09 - Movie #178

BEFORE: I tried to watch "Serpico" before this, but the VHS tape (old, but still in the shrink-wrap) had tracking problems - so I'll try it later on another VCR, or else just put that film back on my want list. So, a few Pacino films before I start my DeNiro-spective. I thought I might have seen this film, but since I remember nothing about it, it at least merits a re-watch.

THE PLOT: An FBI undercover agent infilitrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life to the expense of his regular one.

AFTER: I guess maybe I hadn't seen this before, since nothing about the film seemed familiar at all. This movie is like a primer on the mob, or at least mob films. Pacino's character, "Lefty" Ruggiero, inadvertently gives Depp's Brasco (or is it Pistone?) tips on how to act like a mobster - and the film also explains the many subtle meanings of "Fuggedaboutit". There are also lots of "Hey, it's THAT guy" moments, with Bruno Kirby and Michael Madsen in the mob, and Paul Giamatti, Tim Blake Nelson, and Zeljko Ivanek working for the FBI. Pacino's Lefty is a great character - a made man who keeps getting passed over and can't seem to advance, so he's resigned himself to middle management.

The movie is tense, but other than a nightclub raid, there's not much action, so it felt a little flat to me. It's more of a character study of a guy who gets too involved in the mobster he's pretending to be.

RATING: 6 out of 10 boosted trucks