Donnie Brasco

Donnie Brasco (1997)

  • 87% of critics liked it
    (55 reviews)

  • 85% of users liked it
    (176,682 ratings)

This drama about an undercover cop who learns the hidden dangers of working his way inside the mob was based on a true story. Joe Pistone (Johnny Depp) is an FBI agent who is given an assignment to infiltrate the Mafia; calling himself Donnie Brasco, he befriends Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino), a… More

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R, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By
Mike Newell
Written By
Paul Attanasio
Genres
Mystery & Suspense, Drama
In Theaters
Feb 28, 1997 Wide
On DVD
Jan 20, 1998
TriStar

Critic Reviews

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    Although perhaps familiar in its outer trappings, Pacino's fine work is the key to the film succeeding to the extent that it does.

  • Rita Kempley, Washington Post

    Unfortunately, the story isn't inventive and Newell's methodical approach to it verges on monotony.

  • Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

    A first-class Mafia thriller that is also, in its way, a love story.

  • Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

    In the tired figure of Lefty, manifest in the craggy icon of Pacino, our sympathies are definitely enlisted, and the theme rings a poignant note.

  • Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

    Pacino and Depp are a match made in acting heaven, riffing off each other with astonishing subtlety and wit.

Read all 21 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Lady D


    A good film which I re-watched recently. Undercover cop who gets close to Gangsters

  • moon r


    A mob buddy movie ... only one of our buds is a rat. Pacino delivers another stellar, complex and surprising performance as a blue collar mobster. Depp too rises to the standard set as the man brought in. Madsen, Kirby, and Heche (!) are more than competent in supporting roles.… More

  • Conner R


    I know a lot of people flat out hate Donnie Brasco and call it the poor man's Goodfellas or Scorsese light, but I love it and think those accusations are completely different from the truth. Donnie Brasco does everything it can to take the glamor away from the gangster lifestyle.… More

  • Lewis C


    "I'm not becoming like them, I am them." Donnie Brasco is a true crime story of a federal agent who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family over a period of years, ultimately resulting in a lot of successful prosecutions. I'm not usually the biggest fan of these… More

  • Michael S


    A classic modern crime epic. On par with the genre's best.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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Trailers & Clips

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