Organized crime is the most susceptible world for Hollywood glamorization, not just because of its illicit, hush-hush status, but because our culture has imbued the mafia with a mythological treatment. While films are heavily responsible for the apocryphal interpretation of the mafia thanks toThe Godfather, the milieu, in all its curiosity and innate draw for human interest, often prints the legend as fact. Themost iconic mafia movies, includingThe GodfatherandGoodfellas, pride themselves on their verisimilitude, deploying first-hand sources and casting real former mafiosos, but there’s no denying that creative liberties are prevalent.
One of the more unsung mob-related films,Donnie Brasco, featuringGodfatheralumAl Pacino, isperhaps the most accurate portrayal of organized crime to date, according to a former “friend of ours.“Although the story seems implausible — something conceived by an ill-informed screenwriter — a New York family truly did believe an FBI agent was a credible wiseguy.
Michael Franzese Digs Into ‘Donnie Brasco’s Accuracy and Al Pacino’s Performance
While not as highly-regarded or remembered as thefilms byFrancis Ford CoppolaandMartin Scorsese,Donnie Brasco, released in 1997, features many of the hallmarks necessary for a solid mob movie while examining the subject through a modern skeptical lens. Starring Al Pacino during his strong post-Oscar run in the 1990s andJohnny Deppon the cusp of superstardom, theMike Newell-directed film is based on the unbelievably true story of Joseph D. Pistone (Depp), an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family under the titular alias. Brasco, who climbs up the chain of command, befriends an aging enforcer, Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino), who senses that his demise is lurking at the corner.
For your source for fact-checking mob depictions in media, look no further thanMichael Franzese, aformer boss of the Colombo crime family, who, after departing from the criminal life,shared his experiences as a writer and speaker. Franzese, who is name-dropped during Henry Hill’s (Ray Liotta) rapid-fire introduction of his colleagues inGoodfellas, can be found on YouTube scrutinizing the historical accuracy of the totemic mob stories in pop culture.
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Franzese certainly has the credentials tojudge the historical accuracyand authenticity ofDonnie Brasco, as heexplained onThe Megyn Kelly Showthat he befriended Joe Pistone later in life. Despite being a double agent during his stint in the mafia, Franzese, like a rival athlete, tipped his cap to Pistone for excelling at his job as an informant. A mob family vouching for Brasco, an outsider, selling fake diamonds on the streets, and bringing him into the inner circle seems to test the limits of Hollywood credulity, but according to Franzese,his former co-criminals were prone to let their guard down with the temptation of earning quick cash, something Brasco provided them. He was also familiar with Lefty Ruggiero andpraised Al Pacino’s performanceas the weathered mobster who meets a tragic fate.“He just nailed that character so well,“Franzese said, calling it one of the actor’s best performances. In an episode ofMob Movie Monday, he celebratedDonnie Brascoas “one of the most authentic” portraits of the criminal gangland.
‘Donnie Brasco’ Is a Character-Focused Look at the Perils of Organized Crime
It tracks thatDonnie Brascofeatures minimal embellishment and liberties about its subject, as the Mike Newell film takes a grounded, intimate approach to the often grandiose mafia world. Newell, the English director best known forFour Weddings and a FuneralandHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,brought a level of understated sensitivity missing in the average mob-set films.Being anunconventional choice to direct a crime thriller, Newell delivers on all the tried and true components of the genre. We have the wise, senior mobster in Lefty, the aggressive go-getter in Donnie, theJoe Pesci-like motormouth hothead inBruno Kirby, and the alienated spouse on the homefront inAnne Heche.
Donnie Brascoappears to be pedestrian on the surface, but Newell pays great attention to the central dynamic in the heartfelt relationship between Donnie and Lefty. Watching Pistone’s soul corrode as he evolves into amore believably ruthless mobsterbecomes even more poignant when it signals that Lefty’s time is running out.For Pistone, this life is just a performance, but for Lefty, it is his natural self. Eventually, Pistone’s affection for the man who took him under his wing, protecting him from any grave suspicion from the other mobsters, outweighs his duties as a federal officer, which causes his superiors to wonder if he’s gone to the dark side.
Although it depicts its fair share of visceral bursts of violence and indulgence of excess,Donnie Brascodoes not present the mafia as a roller-coaster life ofdebauchery like inGoodfellas. With its jobs that mirror mundane labor, the film, to quote Henry Hill’s immoral words,would not want to make you dream of being a gangster.Naturally, as life is never as exciting as it is on the big screen,Donnie Brascois the most authentic re-creation of the mafia.
Donnie Brasco
