"Fogettaboutit!"

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2020)

A phrase that should indicate my feelings on the film rather does the opposite. "Fogettaboutit!" has sunk it's way into my daily vernacular in all sorts of fun ways. You can't find something? "Fogettaboutit!" Having life problems? "Fogettaboutit!" It's one part of the endearment of this film and how I won't "Fogettaboutit!" anytime soon.
The film stars Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, a pair I never knew I wanted, Johnny being the undercover cop and Al Pacino as the gangster who's overseeing him. Johnny Depp plays a serious role, which I have never gotten to see, and it suits him perfectly- felt like Leo at times. He's always on edge about his lifestyle and how the mafia is closing its grip on his reality. That's what is striking about this movie; it's a crime drama with more emphasis on "drama" than actual crime. It does have all the underbelly tropes but instead of focusing on them it puts its entire focus on the psyche of Johnny Depp's titular character, Donnie. Mike Newell clearly tried to include the familiar Scorsese-isms, but they feel "fine" and rather derivative. Those sequences are short and are necessary to understanding Donnie's involvement so they don't feel unwelcome either.
The music by Patrick Doyle is suitable if a bit over-dramatic. The main theme is really the only motif present and it's repetitive almost to an extreme but isn't annoying at all. It's a fine score but not one that I would listen to on repeat. Maybe once is all.
The way the film is shot is super competent and stylized in such a way to where the audience is given the perspective of Donnie almost through the entire movie but as if we are observing him under the guise of being FBI agents. Many scenes will cut away to a camera lens to give the impression that Donnie is always being watched- this changes at a turning point in the film.
Donnie Brasco is a gangster flick that focuses more on a gang's interactions rather than violence. It's about how people on both sides of the law are still just people.