Donnie Brasco appreciation thread

This is a great movie..and i noticed there was no actual thread dedicated to this great film..so here it is... post every thing DB in here from thoughts and opinions to questions etc...

I liked this movie, Depp was amazing!

yeah he looked a bit funny with his moustache and everything but his acting is superb(surpoib)....of course you gotta love pacino as lefty..great film

Yea Pacino was really good. He IMO its the last good film he's been in.

yeah i agrre with you 100% his last few wernt that good which has dissapointed me what the f%4k is up with him being in that gigli movie...the devils advocate i love..did that come out after or before donnie brasco

A few months afterwards, I havent seen Devils Advocate but I'm going to buy it, I saw it in the shop for £5, is that a good price?

yeah definently...if you dont mind keanu reeves although he does well in this film..you'll love the movie..its def the last good film hes been in then..if it came out after db...def worth owning..classic pacino acting...love it 4/5

You can use the search function to find many many posts about the Donnie Brasco movie. It's been discussed extensively many times on here.



Don Cardi

yeah i thought it might have but when i searched for it in the other mob films/books/tv section there were only two threads with just a few questions asked..but yeah fair enough i shouldeve known..lol great movie non the less

One of fav films,great cast.Have you read the Book,as they say the books are always beter..

nah ive never read the book...i will though

You should,lots missed out of the film as there always is..

I read the book a few years ago, after watching the movie many many times (Such a great movie). A few things in the book, made me wonder. Joseph D. Pistone, is in movie getting more and more into the mob, and seems to have a hard time getting out. In the book, or should i say in real life, he never lost the sense of rigth and wrong, and could always keep controlled.

He just came out with another book titled "Unfinished Business" and supposedly he reveals a lot more than he did in his previous two books.


Don Cardi

Yes, the movie, while quite entertaining and well acted, took a lot of liberties with the story, which is why the book is so much better. Also, the movie completely excluded two important parts of Pistone's experience in the Mob--Tony Mirra (a "very scary guy") and a long interlude in Milwaukee involving Frank Balistrieri, the local Mafia Don. Both should have been in the film.

I totally agree TB. In my opinion, those two parts were an integral part of the story. How about all the secret back and forth traveling he had to do when he was in Milwalkee? I don't undersatnd why they decided to leave those parts out of the movie.



Don Cardi

They also left out his time spent with Jilly and the Colombos in Brooklyn.

Although Jilly's character made a cameo in the barbershop scene, I think they should have spent more time with Donny's initial contact with the mob as an undercover, which was not with Lefty, but with Jilly and then Tony Mirra.

That's the problem with adapting true life stories to the big screen, there's never enough time.

His spending time with Jilly and the Columbos is what pulls you into the book. It lays the foundation of how he began his infiltration into the mob, built up his reputation and began to get recognized. Yes, they should have included at least some of that in the movie. No reason that the movie couldn't have been a 3 hour movie. The story is definitely interesting enough to hold the viewer's attention.


Don Cardi

I agree.

If the viewer didn't know it was a true story, it would be very hard to believe that an undercover agent, in 1975, could just walk into a social club on Mulberry Street and have a guy like Lefty approach him about fencing diamonds.

Had they invested some screen time with Jilly and his crew, the average viewer would then find out that a made guy (Jilly) had vouched for "Donnie" BEFORE he did any actual business with Lefty.

I agree with both of you. I think Martin Scorsese would have been able to really do justice to the book.

EXACTLY who I had in mind when I made that post!



Don Cardi

That would have been something TB.

If you remember, DONNIE BRASCO was initially set to go into production in 1989, with Tom Cruise in the title role. It was then put on the back burner, so it wouldn't be in direct competition with THE GODFATHER PART III and GOODFELLAS, both released in late 1990.

All of that being said, it was still an entertaining movie. Thank God they came to their senses and re-cast Johnny Depp as "Donnie". I don't think Cruise could have pulled it off, whereas, script deficiencies aside, Depp did a fine job.

Ok PB, I got both books in the mail today ( The Hoods and Unfinished business).

Did you get yours yet?

Which one should we read first?



Don Cardi

I'm in the middle of MOB COPS by Greg B. Smith, but I already read UNFINISHED BUSINESS, so start with that.

This way, we can start THE HOODS at the same time and discuss it here.

Donnie Brasco? Forget about it...

What does fuggettaboutit mean?


Don Cardi

Forget about it is like if you agree with someone, you know, like Raquel Welch is one great piece of ass, forget about it. But then, if you disagree, like A Lincoln is better than a Cadillac? Forget about it! you know? But then, it's also like if something's the greatest thing in the world, like mingia those peppers, forget about it. But it's also like saying Go to hell! too. Like, you know, like "Hey Paulie, you got a one inch pecker?" and Paulie says "Forget about it!" Sometimes it just means forget about it.

Don Cardi doesn't read THE HOODS, fuckin' fugghetaboutit !

This is one of my all time favourites.

Thank you longneck! I was actually quoting a line from Donnie Brasco when his fellow FBI agents ask him that question.



Don Cardi

Just started to read Joe Pistone's latest Donnie Brasco book -

"Unfinished Business"

So far so good.


Don Cardi

I hope you'll favor us with your review of that book, DC.

I most definitely will.



Don Cardi

I'll get it whether you like it or not.

So there!

Well I guess that you never got the first book because you didn't know that I was quoting a line from the book and thought that I was really asking what fughettaboutit meant!




Don Cardi

suuuuuuuuuure you were...

I can read Donnie Brasco over and over, it's never gotten boring or old when I've picked it up again.

I agree. The first Donnie Brasco book is one of those books that you can read several times and still enjoy.


As for UNFINISHED BUSINESS, I'm about 100 pages into it. A good read that keeps you interested, BUT, there are times, so far, that I feel that Pistone is just rehashing many of the things that he's already told us about in his first book. Only with a little different spin this time. Perhaps I need to give it a chance before passing judgement on it. But so far I just can't help feeling that Pistone is just cashing in on what's basically the same story that he told us in his first book, only a bit more embelished this time around.



Don Cardi

I still feel it's better than WAY OF THE WISEGUY, DC. That book was a total rehash.

Is it me or is Pistone's ego actually getting bigger as he gets older ?

Funny how he ducks the topic of his dear friend Lin DeVecchio, the agent accused of tipping off Greg Scarpa, leading to several murders. It's mentioned in the preface but not in great detail. Just, of course, that he's innocent.
What'd you expect ?

A dirty cop is no better than a rat wiseguy. If you're gonna be a cop, be a cop.

Sorry for the rant, it's a pet peeve of mine.

Yes it is. And as I said I really should finish it before jumping to any conclusions.

As for Pistone's ego? It definitely has gotten bigger and bigger over the years.

Hey, what Pistone did took a lot of balls. What Pistone did was a great thing. And there is no question that he put his life in jeopardy from the moment he went undercover. What he did and how deep he got took a lot of guts and was amazing. I admire the man for that.

In truth though, I cannot blame him for his inflated ego and his continual efforts to cash in on his story. The goverment gave him an plaque and a shitty $500 check for his accomplishments! That's a slap in the face. So why not try to capitolize on this as long as he can?

After all he knows that suckers like us who love this shit will just keep buying what he comes out with anyway!

And yes, I agree. A dirty cop is just as bad as a wiseguy.


Don Cardi

I'll take the stand-up wiseguy over the dirty cop, any day.

Even though he's a criminal, at least he's true to himself within the parameters of his own world.

Unlike the cop who takes the oath to protect and serve, then sells out, like the "mob cops", or the possibly corrupt federal agent, who allegedly sold out to Greg Scarpa.

However, I'll refrain from passing judgement on him until all of the evidence is in.

I agree. I'm sure Pistone embellished his story in many places to aggrandize his role and to sell books (and movie rights). But I also think the basic substance of his story is true. And yes indeed, he really did have coglioni to do what he did.

One story I don't believe is that the Mob put a half-million-dollar bounty on his head. First, it leads us to believe that the Commission has some kind of slush fund and standing army that can be used to attack common enemies. BS! The only thing Dons have in common are greed and distrust of each other. Why would any Don contribute a dime to an effort to "get" Pistone in retaliation for a supreme screwup caused by the Bonannos? The attitude would be: "It's their problem, let them solve it." Second, if Pistone had such a huge price on his head, why would he be running around giving interviews and presiding over book signings?

You beat me to the punch on that one TB !

I've always felt that the contract on Pistone was exaggerated, at the very least. It's been suggested that Paul Castellano, before his own murder, assured federal agents that Pistone was never in any danger.

It's been one of the most vehemently enforced "rules" wthin the US mafia, to never kill cops, reporters or prosecutors. Although I'm sure there have been exceptions, Pistone was just way too high profile to take a chance on killing.

Ordinary "victimless" crimes, such as bookmaking, would have become the focus of major investigations as a result and the wiseguys knew this. They hardly would have cost themselves so dearly in order to kill a guy who was really just doing his job.

As far as Pistone's balls ? Like bocces ! Bruno Kirby makes a great point on the DONNIE BRASCO dvd, that they all listened to hours and hours of wiretaps in studying their roles and all concluded that they, as ACTORS, couldn't have done the job that Pistone did under the constant fear of death that he was under.

I agree about that being BS. The only potential danger that I think he maybe could have faced in getting killed was from some half cocked up and coming soldier in the Bonnano family who may have been looking to make a name for himslef and a quick climb up the ladder. Someone who could turn around to his cohorts and say "See, look what did! I took out Joe Pistone!"

And even then, if I was some mob boss, I don't think that I would want one of my people taking out a known FBI agent who was now in the public eye.

Perhaps that is the reason Pistone has constantly stood in the public spotlight.


Don Cardi

Don't the mob pretend not be around anymore, if they do why would they come out of the shadows to kill a man protected by he FBI?

I'm sorry, but the deeper I get into this 'Unfinished Business' book, the more I feel that I'm just re-reading 'Donnie Brasco,' only with a different spin. Pistone is extremely repetative in his story telling. It's as though he took the stories from his first book and just added a few more details to them.



Don Cardi

Although I enjoyed UNFINISHED BUSINESS, especially the second half of it, I know where DC is coming from.

I'll tell you one thing I'm totally convinced of now - Pistone's insistence that he should have been left undercover, until he got made, had more to do with the fact that he's a bit of a wannabe himself, than anything else.

Is he an American hero ? Yes, no doubt. Does he have balls like bocces ? Yes, no doubt. But the more I read about what a tough guy gangster he would have made, that he did in fact make, the more I'm convinced that he enjoyed the power that went along with the lifestyle.

At the end of the day, was he a cop ? Yes, he was, and a damn good one. But if you read this latest book, I think you'll agree, he's a bit of a wannabe as well.

That's a very astute observation, PB! Pistone was obviously getting sucked into the Mob life big-time. That came through loud and clear in his writing about his relationship with Sonny Black. But even if he weren't getting sucked in, what good would have come of his being made? At minimum, he'd have been asked to be involved in more big-time felonies than he admitted to during his "unmade" career.
I got the feeling that his FBI superiors pulled him out precisely because they saw the danger of his becoming a real Mob guy.

Turnbull, have you read the book yet?


Don Cardi

Yup, that's the impression I got. If they left him in to get made, then he'd say, "just think of the possibilities if I make capo" and on and on.

There are no real spoilers because much of the book is a re-hash, so I'll mention one part.

Pistone claims that after the infamous 3 capos hit of 1981, Sonny Black sent him to Florida to sit down with 2 made guys to put their minds at ease about getting whacked themselves.

The idea of an old school capo sending a mere associate to assure 2 made guys that they wouldn't be hit is implausible. Actually, it's a serious breach of mob protocol, and I don't believe it.

So, it reflects what TB stated about Pistone's relationship with Sonny Black. He often comes across as a kid bragging about his ties to the mob, especially when he brags about how close he was to Sonny Black.

Check out Capeci's column this week.

This agent makes Joe Pistone look like Barney Fife !

http://www.ganglandnews.com/column.htm

Ok PB, as you said, the book is getting better as it moves along, but the self praise and the repetative paragraphs are just getting to me. A chapter starts with an interesting story that pulls you in, and then he just re-hashes the same shit that he talked about in his first book and sometimes even rahashing events that he's mentioned earlier in the same book. I'm just having a hard time picking it up again.


Don Cardi

FUHGEDABOUDIT!

"I got cancer of the prick" LOL Poor Lefty

"Punch of salt"

When I saw the A&E episode about Joe Pistone/Donnie Brasco, I found it really interesting that at the end when Pistone was asked if there was anything he regretted or would've changed, he said "I wish could of done more" meaning that he wished he could've taken down more wiseguys. But from what I remember, the movie leaned towards Pistone sympathizing more with the wiseguys than the feds. Anyone else see this?

He's said on numerous occasions that his sympathy towards the wiseguys was strictly the brainchild of Hollywood, in hopes of making a more dramatic movie. In real life he had no qualms about men being jailed or even murdered due to his role as "Donnie Brasco".

I was watching this again last night and caught a Godfather parallel I never caught before.

Right after Lefty asks Donnie what he knew about "the life," Donnie replies "it's like the army, chain of command, etc..." Lefty turns around and laughs "the army, it's nothing like the army, my friend."


It just reminded me of part 1, when Sonny says "you think this is the army..." Maybe I'm stretching here, but it's something I never caught before.

I don't think Depp played as being seriously sympathetic. Oh sure he maybe got along barely with Lefty sometimes, but most of the time, I got the impression it was Pistone having to tolerate him....and since Lefty was the desperate low-ranking soldier willing to show Depp the life and get him "in," thats how the relationship happened.

At least that was the impression I got.

If anything, the dramatic story of DONNIE BRASCO, and in Pistone's book itself, you know what I always saw it as?

You all read HEART OF DARKNESS or seen APOCALYPSE NOW....really, Pistone is Kurtz going away on a mission/job, and really coming close to going up the river for good, establishing his own kingdom in this foreign land....except the superiors pulled Pistone off before he could pull a Kurtz.

Did you say Pinch or Punch?

"I got cancer of the prick. You didn't know that? It's in the medical books."

I finally read the book. I enjoyed reading it. Now I'll have to read Unfinished Business or whatever the name is.

I am waiting for Unfinished Business to hit the bargain books before I buy it.

I saw the extended cut of the film and liked it. Lefty and Donnie are feeding the Lion tons of hamburgers through the window of Lefty's car. I also noticed that one of the members of Sonny reds crew is Tony Lip who played Carmine Senior on the Sopranos.

Thanks Don Cardi!

I need to watch this film again sometime, must be 5 years since i watch this..

Just watched this again for the first time in years...what a great movie - Fuhgettaboutit! The scene in which Joe Pistone is explaining the meaning of "Fuhgettaboutit" to the other Federal agents in the motel room is priceless!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf0ZyoUn7Vk

I think this is a very underrated Pacino movie.

Thanks Cardi, I was lookin' for a Search Function ... HAHA, Didn't think the site had one until "you" got me lookin' twice!

Yo, Does anybody know if Donnie Brasco is based off of real life events? and if so (which is most likely in mobster movies), who & what?

I've never seen this one. It's on the list! Thanx!

Johnny Depp plays a very good performance and you can tell that he was counseled by the real Pistone, who was a participant in the making of this movie. The movie shows both his mob and personal life and does that very well, but they could have better made it a mini-serie as there was a lot of interesting stuff that was left out of the movie. It's still one of my favorite gangster films though.

I've seen this movie a couple of times now and it rocks puss! I love it completely and utterly. Probably like BLIBBLEBLABBLE stated, one under-rated Pacino movie. Its truly one of my faves now and I know now that its based off of real life events. Thanks for leading me in the right direction.

I've noticed some inconsistencies from the History Channel Documentary on Donnie vs. the movie.

In the documentary, It IS NOT Lefty that presents Pistone with the diamonds. Its an earlier crew he was with. Lefty didn't come along until after Pistone had been under for awhile with "a different" "low time" mob family.

I love that word, FUGAIZI !!! you learn something new everyday!

You have to read the book, Tru.

It was Jilly Greca's Brooklyn crew that you're referring to. And no one "presented" Donnie with the diamonds to fence. What happened was, Donnie didn't like the guy who stole it (from a home invasion if I remember correctly).

Anyway, the guy was showing it off at the club and Donnie was able to detect a flaw of some kind (Pistone took jewelry classes during his FBI training), and Donnie took great pleasure in telling him it was a fake. The guy had it checked out, and it turned out that Donnie was right.

Yeah, and Jilly was from the Colombos, which Pistone was first associated with.

Joe Pistone was on one of our local radio shows about a month ago. He told the following hilarious story. I forget where he was at, but he was doing some undercover work again (obviously using a different alias), after the entire Donnie Brasco thing was over. I believe that this even happened within the past five years. Anyway, he was meeting with some low-level wiseguy and Pistone was trying to win his trust. The wiseguy was a bit unsure, saying that he wanted to trust Pistone, but also wondered "how do I know you're not like that Donnie Brasco? You know, an undercover fed."

Pistone said it was all he could do not to laugh at how incredibly stupid this guy was, particularly since the wiseguy did make the decision to trust Pistone.

Right on Goombah, so Pistone is still doing undercover wiseguy work, huh? Right On! I'd like to hear more when you get a chance.

Pretty funny the guy mentions brasco and doesn't even realize he's talking to the guy ;-)

Have you guys seen the VALUETAINMENT interview with Joe Pistone? It's good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v-X06Q04w4

lefty died in jail not by being whacked. sonny black was whacked and had his hands chopped off for allowing donnie to be brought in. at one point they were going to make donnie.

Not quite...Lefty was released b4 his death.

kudos for the answer. i think he died of cancer.

Correct.

But , as the movie somehow got a hold of the undesirable news..Lefty did in fact have "cancer of da prick"...but that's not what was his demise...it was tobacco.

Lefty personified the old school Code of Honor more than most Mob guys. When the news about Pistone broke, he refused to rat on anybody,and caught a 20 yr sentence. He served about 13 and due to his health,he was released. Originally he was on the "Hit List",but since he kept his mouth shut,he got a pass.He only lived about another 2 years after getting out,but even to the end he refused to talk about his Mob associates. He even turned down a huge amount of money,(some say up to 1,000,000 ) to do a promo interview for the movie. Reportedly,on his deathbed,he threatened to spit in the faces of the producers if they brought it up. He could have taken the money,wrote a book like Pistone,and retired comfortably....But maybe the most important reason that he didn't snitch was that his family would have to live with the shame of his betrayal, and would've lost their honor. I believe that, regardless of the sentence that he could have gotten, he would have done every second and never give the Feds the satisfaction of flipping him.

Wonder how they got the lion from the airport to the burger place.

who's kid overdosed.

Great thread. Donnie Brasco is easily my favorite mob film. Anyone catch the TV miniseries of this story? I think it was called "Falcone."