Brogan Morris continues our Al Pacino Retrospective with Donnie Brasco…
Goodfellas is a clear precursor to Donnie Brasco – Mike Newell’s film is so obviously indebted to Scorsese’s mob epic that it emerges as an unofficial ‘sidequel’, exploring the ruthless mafia family and navigating around mob vernacular in much the same way. But whereas Scorsese’s superior film could be said to glamorise that world by streamlining and removing supposedly superfluous details, Donnie Brasco puts those details back in; Brasco is more intimate, showing low- and mid-level guys watching nature documentaries at home or trying desperately to hammer open parking meters to steal the change inside.
Donnie Brasco doesn’t feel more real per se, but it puts mafia life in a more open, relatable light. The gangsters of Donnie Brasco have small ambitions, and plans don’t always pay off – mafia veteran Lefty’s (Al Pacino) decision to set up an operation of his own in Florida results in his new bar being raided by cops on the first night. Maybe Sonny Black’s (Michael Madsen) reaction to some grim celebrity news is most telling of the kind of film Donnie Brasco is: “How can John Wayne die?” It’s recognition that no one is untouchable, and a throwaway piece of conversation between friends, simultaneously humanising the criminals and making them seem that bit more pathetic.
Performances in Donnie Brasco are impressive, helped along by a script with a superb ear for naturalistic dialogue. Johnny Depp’s best serious role is here, for what that’s worth – as the undercover cop infiltrating New York’s Bonnano crime family, Depp’s less self-consciously acting and instead delivering something quieter and more exciting than any number of wigs and camp theatrics have made him since. He matches Pacino, who tones down his gravelly histrionics to give an atypically ordinary performance as the man taking Depp’s ‘Donnie Brasco’ under his wing (it’s atypical for the Pacino of this era, that is). Al plays his age, and generously works with Depp to make the friendship between Joseph/Donnie and Lefty genuinely touching.
It’s their relationship, and not the one between Joseph and wife Maggie (Anne Heche, also excellent), that forms the backbone of the film. Pacino makes his grouchy killer avuncular and loveable, highlighting the once supremely intense actor’s penchant for comedy during this period (“Whackin’ the boss, another thing I get left out of”, he remarks after Sonny Black and co. mercilessly execute the higher-ups). Depp, meanwhile, gives his more unreadable lead unexpected depth – his subtle change from a mild-mannered “college man” to an honorary mobster obsessed with the lifestyle may surprise those unfamiliar with Depp outside of Tim Burton movies. Together, Depp and Pacino help make a period film about old men following old values feel sprightly.
Brogan Morris – Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the young princes. Follow Brogan on Twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion.
Originally published March 17, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
