FilmRoar

What? You don’t like Donnie Brasco? Forgettaboutit!

Going from Grifters to Wise Guys seems as natural as, well, a movie with Al Pacino as a mafia man. What seems out of the ordinary but turns out to be extraordinary is Johnny Depp’s performance as an undercover FBI agent who comes perilously close to losing his own identity and becoming Donnie Brasco, the wiseguy he is supposed to be impersonating.

Pacino has long been stuck in a rut playing the same wisecracking, loud, and bossy character. Whether as a cop in Heat (1995) or a mobster in The Godfather III (1990), it seems we can start the stopwatch from the time Pacino hits the screen and count the minutes until his inevitable outburst of frustrated anger. In Donnie Brasco, he shows a surprising vulnerability and dimensionality. Sure Pacino is once again cast as the gangster, however this time he is a different kind of a gangster: one with feelings and worries. The exterior is the same: tough as nails and with a wit so sharp it cuts down anyone who opposes him. This time, though, the eyes tell a different story. Subtle and expertly acted Pacino shows the worry in his character’s mind as he keeps a constant watch over his shoulder for the hit that may come at any moment.

Not to be outdone, Depp gives us the taste of a man slipping down a dangerous slope from predator in sheep’s clothing to a true member of the pack. Quiet and reserved, Depp, like his co-star, tells a world of meaning through his eyes and his face. In the scenes where he argues with Anne Heche, who plays his aggravated wife, you can see the love he holds for her even as he fires a barrage of verbal abuse.

I wonder why Donnie Brasco does not show up more often in movie discussion and conversation. The movie is not a masterpiece, but the masterful acting by its two leads makes it a film that should not be missed.