The Johnny Depp Crime Drama On Netflix That Will Break Your Heart
The Johnny Depp mafia film Donnie Brasco is streaming now on Netflix. The film tells the story of an FBI agent who infiltrates a crime family in the 1970s and the compelling emotional conflict within which he finds himself.
That conflict is rooted in the heartbreaking difficulty of betrayal the agent experiences after he has befriended and won the trust of a person who will almost certainly end up dead because of the scheme.
Johnny Depp stars alongside Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco, a much-watch crime drama on Netflix.
In the film, Johnny Depp plays Joe Pistone, a young FBI agent who poses as jewel thief Donnie Brasco in order to infiltrate the Bonanno crime family in New York. The movie is based on the 1988 book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by the real Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley.
Johnny Depp showed yet another side to himself in Donnie Brasco, compellingly leading a serious crime drama that nonetheless tells a heart-rending human story.
While the book relates Pistone’s accounts of his real-life undercover operation, the film fictionalizes the story quite a bit and ends up loosely based on its source material.
Appearing alongside Johnny Depp is Al Pacino as Lefty Ruggiero, an enforcer for the Bonanno crime family who befriends and vouches for Pistone as Brasco. The story focuses on the relationship between the two men as Pistone becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the looming end result of his goals. The film and is screenplay by Paul Attanasio were widely praised upon the theatrical release in 1997.
In 1997, long before he became associated with Captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp was riding the first wave of success in his career, following his huge roles in Edward Scissorhands (1990), Benny & Joon (1993) and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993).
He had also won a London Film Critics’ Circle Actor of the Year award for his performance in Ed Wood the previous year. Already showing the diversity of his talent, the actor was moving seamlessly between fantasy, comedy, and drama, with his taste for the weird and wacky on full display.
But Johnny Depp showed yet another side to himself in Donnie Brasco, compellingly leading a serious crime drama that nonetheless tells a heart-rending human story. His performance in the film was widely praised by critics who noted the believability and grace in his exploration of the role. But this success followed a rather winding production road for the film.
Long before Johnny Depp or Al Pacino became involved with the project, the film rights were purchased by Louis DiGiaimo, who had known Joseph D. Pistone since their childhood years. DiGiamo was a casting director for Barry Levinson and brought the property to the attention of producers Gail Mutrux and Mark Johnson, and Levinson’s Baltimore Pictures. Paul Attanasio was brought on to write the script with Stephen Frears set to direct.
In an era when Johnny Depp is best known for his more cartoonish, broad, and comic roles—especially Captain Jack—it’s informative to look back on one of his most grounded, serious roles and see just how nuanced and engaging his performance is.
In 1990, the year of Johnny Depp’s breakout in Edward Scissorhands, Martin Scorsese also released his now-classic mob movie, Goodfellas, causing the film’s production to be pushed back. As the film languished in development for a few years, Frears eventually left the project with Mike Newell stepping in as director. In 1996, development finally moved forward with Pacino cast as Lefty, a casting for which Frears had long advocated.
With the addition of Johnny Depp as the film’s other co-star, Pistone himself was brought on as a character development consultant for the two leads. Rounding out the primary cast were Michael Madsen as Sonny Black, Bruno Kirby as Nicky Santora, James Russo as Paulie, and Anne Heche as Maggie Pistone. The film premiered in the US in February of 1997 with a UK release that May.
In an era when Johnny Depp is best known for his more cartoonish, broad, and comic roles—especially Captain Jack—it’s informative to look back on one of his most grounded, serious roles and see just how nuanced and engaging his performance is.
With his easily mimicked (though never matched) pirate swagger and his face on countless pieces of tie-in merchandise, it can be easy to forget the very real, very skilled actor Depp actually is. His broad comedic roles function on the same thoughtful approach he brings to a role like that of Joe Pistone.
As Johnny Depp get set to ramp his career back up after protracted legal difficulties, Donnie Brasco can serve as a great reminder of why he became a star in the first place. Catch it now on Netflix.
