Review of Donnie Brasco (1997) by Jezzy A — 01 Jul 2009

I wonder how many times the word "fuck" came up in this movie... [looks it up] 172. They said it 172 times. Way to desensitize!

If this movie were not based off of a true story, it might be half as interesting. A lot of it is character development and a lengthy introduction to the lifestyle. . . Not incredibly plot-intensive, unfortunately. But not a bad movie, either.

It's a realistic-type film, and I prefer the epic overly-artsy kind, but it was well-done and pretty true to the story. I don't like how they omitted the trial-- which seems to be one of the key elements of this drama, and I don't like the way it cut off without a whole lot of closure. I did not like watching people get screwed over time and again, in a situation where not even the "hero" wants to do something about it (or may be the cause, as it were). As always Johnny Depp stands out more than seems fair for any mortal man, but there were some really good other actors at his side this time. The saddest part of this movie (besides the beginning where he had that ewwie mustache) was the part where his 6 years of Mafia infiltration ended in a $500 check.