Calvin Klein model infiltrates the mafia? fuhgeddaboutit!

Rating: 6/10 (25 December 2009)

This is a fascinating film, but I felt that it was unforgivably (and unforgettably) marred by Johnnie Depp's extreme comeliness. His acting was great, but c'mon! He has the skin of a model--not a single facial flaw?! He doesn't even have crow's feet or visible pores! Devoid of the leathery skin so characteristic of the true gangsters, whose excessive use of alcohol no doubt contributes to the premature dehydration of their skin, and whose deeds weigh heavily enough on their conscience to cause deeply furrowed brows, Depp looks as though he has spent his life at a health spa drinking mineral water! Really, too much! When I watched the documentary included on the DVD, I found that, sure enough, the true Joe Pistone actually looks as though he could possibly be a gangster. That was how he succeeded in feigning fraternity with Lefty for six years. Johnnie Depp? Don't think so. Totally implausible. Invraisemblable. A major casting flaw in an otherwise excellent film.
The story is a genuine tragedy, no doubt. And Al Pacino did a wonderful job as always--though I did note that in a couple of scenes he was empirically distinguishable from Rickie Roma in GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. I guess that's okay, though, since Roma was corrupt in his own sort of way. In other scenes, I saw the protag from SCENT OF A WOMAN. I guess that makes sense, too, however, since Lefty was aging and full of regrets as well.
Definitely worth seeing and very thought-provoking, but it takes a real effort to suspend disbelief when it comes to Depp's role. Again, not a criticism of his acting, but of the casting and/or make-up crew. I am confident that his image could have been roughed up, but for some inscrutable reason, this was not done.