there 's no reason to doubt that donnie brasco is based , as its opening credits proclaim , on a true story .
but if it 's an accurate picture of life on america 's mean streets , than cinematic depictions of organised crime have had a much stronger basis in reality than i would have previously thought .
for from the film 's outset , when a group of hoods jocularly trade differing opinions on the merits of various automobiles ( not unlike a number of movie lowlifes who recently gave a madonna song a close reading ) donnie brasco resembles more than passingly a few gangster flicks once believed to be works of fiction .
our eponymous hero ( johnny depp ) is not the cheap crook he first appears to be .
brasco is joseph pistone , an undercover fbi agent who has the task of chumming - up to lefty ( al pacino ) , a seasoned hood who tutors pistone in the art of being a " wiseguy " .
regrettably , pistone learns his lessons all too well .
his concern for lefty , who is burdened with a heroin addicted son , exacerbates his own family troubles : his children resent his lengthy absences and his wife fears that her husband 's gangster persona is becoming a little too convincing .
true , the focus on pistone 's family life does deviate from the typical gangster - flick formula , but this subplot never rises above its television drama origins .
the unhappy couple trade predictable lines and engage in drawn - out domestic squabbles ? including an ill - advised marriage guidance routine ?
that slow the film down unnecessarily . the biggest problem with donnie brasco , however , is that its wiseguy attitude and style lacks the flair of its many predecessors .
the awkward use of an occasional disco tune momentarily reminds us its the 70 's , but not with the consistent and blindingly tacky style ?
i loved those fluoro coloured suits ? of scorces ' costume drama casino .
more importantly , pacino 's presence triggers memories of his earlier movie triumphs in which similar territory was covered far more effectively .
donnie brasco 's take on american values , for instance , is feeble and obvious .
lefty rambles out dreams of material betterment to the accompaniment of grating inspirational music .
inexplicably , lefty 's horatio alger inspired gush is supposed to move us .
it does n't any more than his family troubles do , which are dealt in the same saccharine and obvious manner as pistone 's .
just think a minute on how these themes were explored in the godfather movies and scarface .
in these pictures pacino 's dedication to a peculiar and bloody hyper - capitalism was twisted and confronting , while his dogged application of macho wiseguy procedure meant that his relations to friends and family was intriguingly dark ?
neither were spared bloody retribution for breaching wiseguy regulations .
donnie brasco 's tawdry little crime , therefore is n't so much its repetition of familiar gangster themes , but
the shameless way in which it sanitises them .
( oh and by the way , i forgot to mention that the script also sports a startling subplot : pipstone 's superiors are obstructive incompetents who are infuriated by his constant insubordination ?
is that a " damn you mcbain !
" i hear from springfield way ? )
so
the movie is cliched .
big deal
, what do you expect from a gangster - flick ?
well you expect quality action sequences and bravado performances in abundance if its going to be a decent example of the genre .
donnie brasco fails on both counts .
the action scenes never rise above the ordinary and depp 's woeful performance tends to smother the good - work of his comrades .
admittedly , pacino does nothing new and michael madsen ( sonny ) simply smirks his way through the picture like a slightly subdued mr .
white , but both possess an unmistakable sly charm .
depp usually exhibits a bit of class himself , but regrettably , being in the presence of one of his betters must have left him star - struck , for he is completely hell - bent on mimicking pacino 's well - earned high style .
the consequences are painful to watch .
its no exaggeration to say that the film 's credibility is seriously strained by the sight of the pistone family 's uncanny ability to keep a straight face in front of their breadwinner 's phony brooklyn accent .
perhaps we should take pity on the makers of donnie brasco .
maybe a scrupulous adherence to pinpoint accuracy demanded tiered dialogue and scenarios weakly reminiscent of classic gangster flicks .
if this is indeed the case , surely the makers of donnie brasco could have explored the fascinating possibility that america 's underworld is committed to emulating , albeit in heavily attenuated form , their movie namesakes .
depp could have poignantly played a simple cop who becomes a hideous parody once he is forced to mimic big - screen gangster greats .
who knows what insights into the criminal psyche could have arisen ?
but then again , perhaps donnie brasco is n't so true after all .
Output: N