This movie is based on a true life story
Joseph Pistone is an undercover FBI agent who is assigned to work with the American mafia. His initial contact is Lefty, a guy who gets the short end of the stick despite his 30 years with the mafia. Guys like Sonny Black call the shots inspite of being junior to Lefty. Joe is christened as Donnie Brasco by Lefty and this undercover operation also goes by the same name.
He becomes close to Lefty and increasingly he becomes frustrated with the FBI and his family is also not able to understand his angst. He even starts feeling like a gangster and just when he thinks of shifting loyalties permanently towards Lefty, things come to a stop as the FBI thinks it is the right time to pull the plug on this operation.
What happens to Lefty is left to the viewer’s imagination, even though it is obvious. Joe is meagerly rewarded for his undercover work which helps the FBI arrest a lot of gangsters.
Al Pacino is a master at such gangster roles and his equation with the younger Johnny Depp is the highlight of the movie. Al looks dashing even after so many years and his hairstyle is a rocker. Depp is in a catch 22 situation between the mafia, his family and the FBI. He expresses that frustration and aggression beautifully. The scenes with his family are cases in point. His screen presence is terrific.
Michael Madsen is another regular at gangster roles and he pulls it off as Sonny Black convincingly. There are other gangsters who go by fancy names like Sonny Red.
VERDICT: Gripping 'undercover' gangster movie with all the essential ingredients in place.
