Donnie Brasco (2000, DVD)

When it comes to modern gangster movies, it's really difficult to describe and review them without making comparisons to other films of the genre. I've always subscribed to the philosophy that any idea (no matter how many times it's been used before) can provide for a good story and "Donnie Brasco" clinches this idea. It has a good layer of authenticity, even if its core is a tad stale.

The film starts off in typical fashion by defining its atmosphere of New York City in the late 1970s and the mobsters who inhabit it. We meet Lefty (Al Pacino), an aging wiseguy who can still walk the walk and talk the talk. He and his associates go through the generic motions you expect to see in crime films like this. Somehow he comes across Donnie Brasco (Johnny Depp), a younger guy with a lot of spunk who isn't afraid of Lefty and his rep. It's clear Donnie is new to the life and Lefty recognizes this immediately, telling him all the tricks of the trade. I have never seen this technique of actually revealing the Mafioso idiosyncrasies before and for this the film deserves credit. However, we soon realize Donnie is actually Joe Pistone, an FBI agent working undercover. He s a character who symbolizes the viewer as he will soon be purged into the lifestyle and treated as a newcomer.

The first act works as a guided tour through Lefty's operations. There's a lot of rhetoric about wiseguy honor, a brief history of the mob, definitions of their slang, where their money comes from and who it goes to. Most gangster movies seem to be made with the notion the viewer already knows how the mob works (probably from watching other gangster movies), and although this attitude comes across, Donnie Brasco tries to fill in all the holes where and when it can.

Thankfully the film doesn't become too caught up in the tedious details of organized crime, instead, opting for character development. Much of the story is told simply through the interaction between Lefty and Donnie. Pacino is outstanding here as the pathetic hood who speaks of his job in the same manner any blue collar worker would. He's old and exhausted but seems to enjoy what he does, just as anyone loyal to the same employer for over 30 years might be. We learn of his accomplishments, which are quite impressive within their context, and when he complains about not being made top boss, it's easy to sympathize with him. Director Mike Newell constantly plays up this aspect, making it a major theme which works well in the long run. As Donnie is constantly impressing and even one-upping Lefty, it's hard to tell which emotion is more powerful: the fact Donnie is getting closer to nailing the mob or the fact Lefty has once again been usuped.

The storytelling is genuinely interesting throughout, even when the motions the characters go through seem familiar. The resonance to Donnie's actual assignment varies, he often reports back to the Feds with detail of his progress, but it doesn't always seem to have much meaning. Back home, his wife Maggie (Anne Heche) is ready to divorce him because he's never around and the family is suffering. Since this is based on a true story I wouldn't doubt this would happen, although the way it is handled often borders on the melodramatic.

My only major complaint is the film seems to have no final act, or at least any real sense of closure. A climax of sorts does occur, but there's little feeling of a payoff.

Aside from a few minor flaws, "Donnie Brasco" manages to be a solid piece of storytelling and character development. It may be routine, but it's good, and that's respectful.