Donnie Brasco by Mike Newell (1997)
1978: an FBI agent successfully infiltrates the Brooklyn mafia with the unwitting help of the old hitman Lefty Ruggiero.
“Tell me, how many times have you come to my house?” “Twice a week, maybe more, why?” “Twice a week, maybe more, why?” “Yeah, you’re right, maybe more. I cooked for you. If I had money, I would have… I never had money, but if I had a hundred dollars in my pocket, I’d give you fifty, right?” “𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩, right.” “If you’re a rat… if you’re a rat, then I’m the biggest schmuck in the history of the mafia.” (Lefty Ruggiero & Donnie Brasco)
“Forget About It” And what’s the point of telling you, Lefty? You already know that they never really gave you the recognition you deserved.
Never once did you get a reward or a significant position in the hierarchy.
You’ve been working hard for the organization for years, but you’ve never received any gratitude. You’re always kept at arm’s length from the top ranks, and now they’ve even chosen Sonny Black over you.
But maybe with this young guy, things could be different. This Donnie Brasco might just be your last chance.
A kind of redemption, if you will: the final attempt to give meaning to everything.
After all, he seems like a good kid, and I know you think so too, since you invite him to your home and even cook for him.
You could teach him a few tricks of the trade, just enough to keep him afloat without drowning.
A bit like he was your godson, so to speak.
And most importantly: you have to vouch for him… But what’s the point of telling you, Lefty?… What’s the point of telling you?..
Mike Newell takes Joe Pistone’s memoirs and brings a true story to the screen in this slightly unconventional gangster movie, where the violence is more implied than shown.
The focus is on the world of the criminal workforce, where the so-called small fish swim. This is the story of an impossible friendship.
Everything hinges on deception, and the director uses this to capture the world of New York’s underworld very well.
A world built on protection and solidarity, populated by characters that it’s hard not to feel empathy for.
Al Pacino is a giant as always, playing a criminal with a heart of gold, an eternal loser and a naïve man, so far removed from the bravado and arrogance of Tony Montana or Michael Corleone.
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