Depp and Pacino, a one-two combination

Rating: 9/10 (22 August 2006)

Johnny Depp gives one of the best performances of his career as Special Agent Joseph Piscatone (aka Donnie Brasco), a man dedicated to his job to the point where he nearly loses his wife (played beautifully by Anne Heche). As such, he walks a fine line between law enforcement and a strange sort of loyalty to Lefty Ruggiero (the always brilliant Al Pacino)whom he is investigating for the FBI. The chemistry and camaraderie between Depp and Pacino is ever-present from their first scene together, to their last. Like Piscatone, the audience feels for Lefty, who at first glance is a tough mobster, but throughout the movie it is evident that he is just a foot soldier-a low man on the totem pole who has worked his whole life to be somebody in the mafia, only to sit on the sidelines and watch men like Sonny Black (Michael Madsen, playing this role to the hilt) rise through the ranks. Pacino portrays Lefty as more of a wannabe mobster than an actual menace, and it works. He's a loser, who doesn't know he is a loser. Lefty is a far cry from the powerful and hypnotic Michael Corleone.
This movie works on so many levels-it's not just a mob movie-it's a deep and penetrating character study of two men who are trying to survive in the worlds that they have created. For Joe, this is difficult, because he loses himself in the character of Donnie Brasco that he is now becoming. It's an atmospheric film, filled with great music, old cars, and it conjures up the toughness and dog-eat-dog world of 1970's New York City mobsters. My rating for this movie is a 9 out of 10.