'DONNIE BRASCO' - An Undercover Hit

“Donnie Brasco” (1997) Directed by: Mike Newell.

So who is more boss, more gangster: the mob, or the guy who goes undercover for years to bring down the familia he's grown to respect? In this true life story about a man who is still on the mob hitlist to this very day, Johnny Depp shows us the pathos, the heart, the struggle of officer Joe Pistone undercover as Donnie Brasco, as he navigates the brutal world of the New York Mafia through small time crook Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino) and the mob faction led by Sonny Black (Michael Madsen).

When Sonny moves up, he takes his crew with him, elevating Brasco even past Lefty. More than simply a picture about the crimes Brasco exposed, and helped facilitate, Lefty sees his own ambition put to rest by the rising star he's brought into the family. Even in the mentor/mentee relationship, and even in the greatest of crime mafias, hearts and crime syndicates alike can be broken.

While it didn't break any records, the movie about Brasco turned quite the profit, clearing $45m domestic on a $35m budget, with $124m gross worldwide. And while we're not breaking anyone's legs to make sure they have to sit and watch this movie, we're considering it.