Overlooked Gritty Jewel from 1997

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2009)

Slick, highly engaging mob movie about an aging gangster (Al Pacino) who takes a young recruit (Johnny Depp) under his wing, not knowing that he's an undercover FBI agent sent to infiltrate the crime organization.
This is one of the most overlooked films from the year of its release (1997), perhaps because it fell under the shadow of another, and admittedly better, crime thriller, "L.A. Confidential." But this movie deserves some attention of its own, thanks largely to the two terrific central performances of Pacino and Depp. It's also adeptly directed by Mike Newell, whose biggest claim to fame up to that point was directing the break out hit romance "Four Weddings and a Funeral." Go figure.
Grade: A