Donnie Brasco

In the late 1970s, an FBI agent goes deep undercover inside New York's mob world, adopting the alias Donnie Brasco. He works his way into the inner circle and earns the trust of veteran hitman Lefty Ruggiero. The assignment draws him into the rituals, loyalties, and fear that define the family. As the case deepens, the line between investigator and participant blurs and the double life begins to gnaw at his sense of self. Personal relationships suffer and the danger rises as suspicions tighten and the criminal network tightens its grip. The consequences ripple beyond the job and threaten the life he is trying to protect. The strain tests his judgment and leaves questions about where his allegiance lies ahead.

Directed by Mike Newell, the film adapts Pistone and Woodley's memoir with a screenplay by Paul Attanasio. Released in 1997, Donnie Brasco teams Johnny Depp and Al Pacino in a grounded crime drama rooted in realism. That balance works beautifully.

The film had a 35 million budget and earned 124,909,762 worldwide, marking a solid return for a tense undercover crime drama. In theaters across the United States and internationally, critics noted the performances and planning.

Johnny Depp's turn as Donnie Brasco and Al Pacino's Lefty Ruggiero left a lasting impression on crime cinema, blending quiet menace with personal vulnerability. The movie is noted for its authentic tone, slow burn suspense, and a portrait of undercover work that reshapes relationships and risk, and sparked ongoing debates.

Critics praised the performances and the film's rigorous focus on identity and loyalty under pressure. It treats undercover work as a moral dilemma rather than constant action, exploring how a man negotiates duty, family, and the pull of a criminal life. Its emphasis on character over action heightens the tension.