Skillfully Directed and Brilliantly Acted

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2015)

The movie highlights some really brilliant actors and performances. Al Pacino's "Lefty" Ruggiero is definitely not some over-the-top bully gangster persona, just a connected, faithful soldier doing 'The Family's' bidding. Outstanding performance. Most of what is seen from Mr. Pacino now-a-days, is the type-cast ruffian bossexaggerating every phrase by grunting some kind of indiscernible guttural assertion. He is a valuable and skilled talent and should be appreciated to his fullest. Another stellar performance is turned in by a young Johnny Depp. Talk about unquestionable skill. In this thriller he is not some altered version of a stumbling, mumbling 'Captain Jack', but a convincing undercover FBI agent, placed in the cross-hairs 24/7. "Brasco" is a thriller from the beginning to the end – a real nail-biter if you will. I don't know how much is trueI doubt anyother than maybe the cover-story. I do think the film did a superb job of showing what some truly dedicated people in law enforcement will volunteer for just to bring down the 'bad guys.' Not only do these people battle with dangerous criminals, but they also go loggerheads with inept, self-serving bureaucrats. I think this is a movie well worth a gander and I highly recommend it for that next person yearning to volunteer – 'for the team.' LESSON LEARNED: You take the risks and do all the work and the accolades are scattered amongst many non-hackers. True rewards are only personal.