Donnie Brasco

UPC: 043396052727

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Questionable for Children, Profanity]

Summary: 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 low-level mob hit man whose personal life is in tatters. Lefty's marriage is falling apart, his son is a junkie, and his health is failing, which only adds to his growing disillusionment about having spent 30 years with the Mafia (and killing 26 people) with little to show for it. But in Donnie, Lefty sees someone who can succeed where he failed; he takes the young man under his wing, and under Lefty's tutelage Donnie quickly rises through the ranks of organized crime; however, the longer he plays the role of the gangster, the more Joe Pistone finds himself becoming Donnie Brasco in his increasingly rare off hours; it drives a wedge between himself and his wife (Anne Heche) and children, and Joe realizes that a break in character among the hoodlums he's come to know could mean a death sentence for himself and his family. Just as importantly, Joe has come to regard Lefty as a close and trusted friend, and Joe realizes that when the day comes where he has to turn in his Mob associates, he'll be ending Lefty's life as surely as if he put a slug in his head himself. The supporting cast includes Michael Madsen as Sonny, Lefty's boss, and Bruno Kirby as Nicky, one of Sonny's henchmen. The real-life Joe Pistone today lives under an assumed name with a 500,000-dollar contract on his life still in effect. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Crime

Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – National Board of Review

Features: Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video
Widescreen presentation
Audio: English 5.0 [Dolby Digital] and English, French, Spanish 2-channel [Dolby Surround]
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Director's commentary
Exclusive featurette: "Donnie Brasco: Out From the Shadows"
Original featurette
Deleted scenes
Isolated music score
Theatrical trailers
Web link
Talent files
Interactive menus
Production notes
Scene selections

Donnie Brasco

Format: DVD

Release Date: 11/07/2000

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.0 Dolby Digital 5.0, DDS Dolby Digital Surround

Runtime: 127 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Scene Selections.
0. Scene Selections.
1. Start. [3:25]
2. November 1978. [2:40]
3. Don & Lefty. [3:17]
4. 8 Grand. [2:12]
5. Under the dash. [3:35]
6. Rules. [1:16]
7. Wiseguys. [2:14]
8. Christmas. [10:48]
9. Silent treatment. [1:00]
10. "I got sent for". [5:58]
11. Invisible man. [5:36]
12. Dean. [1:46]
13. Japanese tradition. [3:18]
14. Florida. [5:25]
15. Richie Gazzo. [3:05]
16. Strung out. [6:27]
17. Fugeddaboudit. [1:18]
18. The Left Hand. [7:29]
19. Attorney punch-out. [1:30]
20. Joe's homecoming. [1:49]
21. Marriage counselor. [3:00]
22. At the hospital. [5:40]
23. Busted. [7:33]
24. A little stop. [10:42]
25. Contract on Bruno. [7:54]
26. Gun to his head. [4:42]
27. Terminated. [4:31]
28. Sent for. [8:09]

Matthew Doberman

Focusing on the nuts-and-bolts world of an everyday mobster and the undercover cop with whom he forms a doomed camaraderie, Donnie Brasco achieves an accessible mix of entertainment and reality. Director Mike Newell was previously best-known for the romantic comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), and he admirably switches gears without losing his knack for character-driven storytelling. Johnny Depp proves his versatility in the lead role of a family-man cop whose made-up mobster alter ego gains him acceptance in The Family; opposite him, Al Pacino crafts a fascinating, world-weary gangster, distinct from the mobsters he's played in the past. His Lefty is a far cry from the slick, bright Michael Corleone, but the character eventually comes to the similar realization that life among wise guys doesn't always translate into a life of wise decisions. ~ Matthew Doberman, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Paul Giamatti  Actor 
Gerry Becker  Actor 
Robert Miano  Actor 
Zach Grenier  Actor 
Brian Tarantina  Actor 
Zeljko Ivanek  Actor 
Mark Johnson  Producer 
Barry Levinson  Producer 
Patrick McCormick  Executive Producer 
Mike Newell  Director 
Louis Di Giaimo  Producer 
Paul Attanasio  Screenwriter 
Gail Mutrux  Producer 
Alan Greenspan  Executive Producer 
Johnny Depp  Actor 
Al Pacino  Actor 
Michael Madsen  Actor 
Bruno Kirby  Actor 
James Russo  Actor 
Anne Heche  Actor 

Country: USA