Wiseguys

Rating: 7/10 (9 March 2020)

Thank you Brooklyn 99 for making me a little more aware of this one. This definitely wasn't what I was expecting though. I didn't look into this at all, went in cold, didn't even realize Depp was in it till he popped up on screen. Depp and Pacino do a fine job here and really convey the struggles these two characters through as they traverse the precarious world of the mob from opposing angles.
Problem is, this starts off really clunky to me. There's so much exposition and explaining and characters that don't feel like they've fully developed or come together.
Fortunately, once we get passed that opening speed bump, this gets very interesting. The relationships, the struggles, the psychology of it all is fascinating to watch. So much so that by the time we reach the crescendo it is absolutely riveting.
If not for that opening, this would be stellar, but that opening act really drove me nuts. It also doesn't help that, in a lot of ways, The Departed is the same movie and it just did it better. It leaves Donnie Branco feeling above average and yet falling well short of what it could have been.