"Even a dog gets a warm piece of the sidewalk."

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2017)

It's been a long time since I read Joseph Pistone's story in the book "Donnie Brasco", but I can still recall three essential elements that kept recurring throughout his story. They had to do with the principal fears Pistone had while working undercover for the FBI. The first obviously was being found out, which would have meant curtains for him. That would have immediately brought recrimination by the Mob against his sponsor Lefty for bringing him into the Family. And there was one other element that didn't get singled out specifically in this film, Pistone's qualms about what he would do if he was actually ordered to perform a hit on someone. I remember his wrestling over the idea that if the hit was ordered on another mobster whether he would do it or not, since they were all bad guys and the victim would have deserved it in line with the Mafia code of honor. As it is, I don't think he was ever asked to perform one.
Now I don't know about anyone else, but while watching this picture and knowing that it was based on a true story, you had to give unparalleled credit to the real life Joe Pistone for his ability to infiltrate the Mob under circumstances that could have been a career ending move. He must have had nerves of steel to balance his gangster life with his real identity and home life, which as we saw began to unravel as time went on.
After experiencing Johnny Depp in any number of identity altering movie roles, and seeing him here as agent Pistone, alias Donnie Brasco, it doesn't even look to me like Depp in the role. Pretty weird if you think about it. As for Pacino, he's quite good as a small fish in a big pond so to speak, a gangster with twenty seven hits to his credit who looked like he wouldn't hurt a fly except for the tough talk and wise guy demeanor. His frustration at not rising higher in the Family ranks is given palpable resonance in the story, yet he never overstepped his superiors or demanded more for his loyalty.
As far as gangster films go this is a good one, and without the typical type bloodshed one might expect from a story like this. There's some of that of course but it doesn't overwhelm the senses like some flicks do. Among the seventy or so gangster films I've seen and reviewed here on IMDb, this one ranks in the upper tier.