An Underrated Gangster Film With A Great Cast And Location Shots of New York.

Rating: 7/10 (26 July 2019)

Whenever you hear a debate about the best gangster films, people argue over 'The Godfather' (1972) and 'Scarface' (1983). Both of those films are a huge time commitment and leave you exhausted afterwards. Next come the Nick Pileggi book adaptations - 'Goodfellas' (1990) and 'Casino' (1995), both featuring an over-the-top Joe Pesci. No one ever mentions 'Donnie Brasco' (1997), but they should.
This film is probably overlooked because, on the surface, it's about a cop. However, by the end of the film, Joe is more Donnie Brasco than he is Joe. Al Pacino plays a great stupid, over-the-hill gangster - but, maybe no one really wants to see that. It's kind of depressing to see Michael Corleone looking old, getting made fun of for 90 minutes, and preparing to get whacked.
Despite the variations, this is a solid gangster flick. There are great location shots of New York City, a decent soundtrack, and good Italian flavor. Johnny Depp and Al Pacino are excellent (as expected), but I feel that Michael Madsen stands out as the ruthless rising star bad guy. I don't know why it took me 20 years to watch this film a second time, but I'm glad I did.
RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria:
Acting - 1/1;
Casting - 1/1;
Directing - 1/1;
Story - 1/1;
Writing/Screenplay - 1/1;
Total Base Score = 5
Modifiers (+ or -):
Authentic Location Shooting: 1 (New York);
Standout Performances: 1 ( Michael Madsen );
Total RealReview Rating: 7