donnie

Donnie Brasco ***

(Regie: Mike Newell; Met: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, e.a)

This clever twist on the gangster genre tells the autobiographical story of undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone who infiltrated the New York maffia milieu under the alias "Donnie Brasco" during the mid-seventies and was single-handedly responsible for the largest number of arrests within the Italo-American crimeworld in the history of the American penal code. Pistone wrote his autobiography as an emotionally damaging, life-threatening descent into a world of violence, family ethics and male bonding Mike Newell (who is best known for his work on the fun-filled Four Weddings and a Funeral) has masterfully re-arranged Pistone's autobiographical material in a taut, funny, emotionally appealing gangster drama that avoids all the usual pitfalls and manages to stay clear of either Scorsese country or Coppola land. Don't expect any rapid cutting or grand tableaus here, as Newell takes us on a documentary tour through the lives of the lowest on the maffia foodchain. Donnie Brasco's entree into the world of mob is arranged not by the bigshots but by the losers who are hired to do the dirty work. Among these maffia burnouts is Lefty, a disillusioned wiseguy who is fruitlessly waiting for his big break and promotion. As played by Al Pacino Lefty is a Willy Loman-like victim of American entrepreneurship, the product of a society that was built on greed and self-reliance. The friendship between Donnie and Lefty is at the core of this heartfelt docudrama. Their bond counters the violence and the deceipt and makes Donnie think twice about his assignment, his life, family and identity. Pistone has written a powerful book that Newell has faultlessly translated to the screen. The director seemed an unlikely choice for this type of film but he does the job with all the required dark humor and subtle shadings of human emotion. Pacino has never been better as the boisterous Lefty, a man who would so much like to amount to something. Johnny Depp is equally perfect as a cop with a heart who suffers from a dangerous identity crisis. Strong stuff.

TOM PAULUS