Not as intense as I hoped but still has good performances

Rating: 7/10 (13 April 2014)

FBI agent Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) goes undercover to infiltrate the mob as Donnie Brasco. Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero (Al Pacino) is a wearied survivor mob soldier who takes in the street smart Brasco under his wing. As their boss Sonny Black (Michael Madsen) rise up, Pistone is there to gather the evidence as his marriage to Maggie (Anne Heche) suffers. Ruggiero dreams of getting away from the untrustworthy Black.
This is base on a true story, and with two of the greatest talents around, I hoped for better. I hoped for better intensity. It has the era, the mannerism, and the style. Pacino is giving a slightly different take on the wise guy. Depp is stepping up. The performances are spot on. It's great that it's a true story. But the movie basically shows all its cards early on. I would probably consider not revealing the FBI undercover story or have their bosses push them harder. Something is needed to drive up the tension. The movie just doesn't translate the danger onto the screen. Director Mike Newell really needs to amp up every cinematic opportunity to represent danger. For example, Donnie finds a picture of their Miami boat in a magazine on the plane. A more compelling scene would have somebody almost picking up the same magazine or even pick up that magazine. True or not, the director needs to pump up the tension.