Donnie Brasco

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Donnie Brasco takes the mob movie to another level by shifting its gaze from the romantic realm of well-dressed hoods to the workaday world of the blue-collar thug. The good fellas are not so good here, and loyalty and a job well done does not promise a promotion. Depp, who has in the past opted for offbeat roles, makes a star turn here with understated grace. For three years, FBI agent Joe Pistone (Depp) poses undercover as a young hood, Donnie Brasco, to infiltrate the New York mob. Depp's convincing performance in the title role is matched by Pacino's Lefty, the third-rate, luckless wiseguy. Through his mobster mentor Lefty, Donnie penetrates the Mafia underworld but struggles to keep a life going with his wife Maggie (Heche) and kids. As Brasco and Lefty develop a father-son relationship, Brasco has to face the consequences: His work will land his best friend behind bars or six feet under.