Donnie Brasco

Müssen Mafia-Filme voll von Leichen, gebrochenen Armen und Beinen, Gangstern, die aus Fenstern von davonfahrenden Autos schießen, Drogen, Sex usw. sein? Donnie Brasco ist ein toller Beweis dafür, dass es nicht so sein muss. Dieser fesselnde Film basiert vor allem auf überzeugenden Schauspielern, die interessante Figuren darstellen, auf der Entwicklung ihrer Beziehungen, auf ihren Dialogen und Emotionen, welche sie (auch dank der Musik von Patrick Doyle) hervorrufen. Viele Szenen sind meiner Meinung nach unvergesslich: Zum Beispiel die letzte Szene von Lefty, das Füttern des Löwen mit Hamburgern, der Besuch vom chinesischen Restaurant, der "kleine Halt“ oder die Mafia-Weihnachtsgeschenke. Ich möchte den Extended Cut sehen. (29.05.2012)

Obviously, you can’t infiltrate an evil organization if you are incapable of turning off your emotions while doing so. Joe Pistone went into action full of enthusiasm, only to find that he became close with a man from "the other side" while his family life was gradually drifting away. It was a decent premise, and the authors didn't come on too strong. The cast was very good, especially Anne Heche's performance pleasantly surprised me. All things considered, I can safely say that I liked the film and had fun the whole time. (26.07.2017)

A fast and relatively entertaining story, primarily relying en the excellent performances of the Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. The former does not play anything new, it’s still the same good-old mafia pose with a healthy dose of vulgar expressions and his own thinking, as we are used to. On the other hand, the transformation Depp undergoes during the film, is extremely interesting. The connections between the characters are carefully portrayed with perfect timing and polished dialogues. However, this story is already quite worn out, despite the fact that Al is not the big boss this time, he’s a small time outsider struggling with his life failure, but this does not change anything on his big heart. It's an entertaining film, but far from being as high-quality as other milestones. (08.12.2007)

Perfectly cast gangster film that fits perfectly into the golden era of the 90s. It's a pity that in the flood of great similar films, Donnie Brasco got a little lost and the film didn't reach its full potential. As always, excellent Al Pacino and the emerging Johnny Depp undoubtedly deserved better. A must-see for fans of Scorsese's gangster films, a good choice for others even today... 80% (30.09.2014)

I have to point out that I expected a bit more. It’s not that the film disappointed me—far from it—but compared to other gangster films, it lacked a gripping storyline. I must say the performances were top-notch, though I didn't find Al Pacino as impressive as Michael Madsen. Madsen was, for me, the focal point of the entire film. Everyone praises Depp, but at times it seemed like he was overacting a bit. He delivered a solid performance, no doubt, but sometimes his expressions and overall demeanor didn’t sit well with me. However, that wasn’t the main issue. The primary problem with the film is that it gets dull at times. Not much happens, and the dialogues don’t really engage the viewer. When action does occur, it ends up feeling lackluster (the only proper action scene is the flawless ambush of the enemy mobsters in the basement, which I have to mention). Compared to The Infiltrator, which deals with similar themes, Brasco doesn’t hold up in many respects. It’s an above-average film with good performances, but that’s about where the positives end. I’ll give it four stars and 70% in the end. (12.02.2017)