I've seen Donnie Brasco probably 10 times and the scene where they bash the Japanese guy in the tiolet of the Japanese restaurant never gets any easier for me. Everytime I mention this to others who have seen this film, I get the impression that nobody else is as affected by the scene as me. Anyone else find that scene DEEPLY disturbing?
shareyeah, i was watching it, and actually stopped the movie for 30 min. to like, take a break cuz it was just too much. then i was good.
shareyes. ME. He was a Completely Innocent Victim , unlike the Grocery Store Owner in "Falling Down" (charging 85 Cents for a 50 Cent Can of Soda).
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It's disturbing that he got beaten up by the guys. Think about it, Donnie had his tape recorder concealed in his shoes and he went to a Japanese restaurant where shoes have to be taken off. What would've the guys thought if they saw the tape recorder fall out off Donnie's boot? He would've been killed. It wasn't meant to be racist or anything if that's what you're getting at. Mafia guys are very, very observant and Donnie had to "blend in" to avoid being exposed. Imagine what would've happened to Donnie if he would've said: "Jeez, I forgot, I have to go outside for something, I'll brb" in order to take out the recorder and hide it? That would've also raise some suspicion from the guys. Probably Donnie wasn't aware that he was going to a Japanese rest. where shoes have to be taken off. In real life, according to Joseph Pistone (a.k.a. the real Donnie) this incident never happened. This was written into the film to show how the job was getting to Donnie. In other words, Donnie was becoming one of them, losing his true identity in the process. That was it was meant to show. He has come across edgy situations like this when his cover was almost blown by little things like almost showing his tape recorder, etc. but none of them were violent like depicted in the film.
shareI think the only reason why would anyone be disturbed by such scene is because the guy that's beaten up is a japanese and so, therefore, the ethnical pityness alarm of that person gets triggered or what the *beep* ever. It was a pretty average beating up scene, actually less violent than most that are featured in traditional mafia themed movies.
share"I think the only reason why would anyone be disturbed by such scene is because the guy that's beaten up is a japanese and so, therefore, the ethnical pityness alarm of that person gets triggered or what the *beep* ever. It was a pretty average beating up scene, actually less violent than most that are featured in traditional mafia themed movies."
I would agree with this statement, you could also file many of the comments on this thread under "white man guilt". It was a very unpleasant scene indeed, but not gratuitous. Plenty of Hollywood movies have shown worse random acts of violence against innocent 3rd parties, though typically not of the "ethnic persuasion".
they beat him because they thought one of there closest had been wronged
once upon a time by a 'jap' therefore the whole race of people
as far as they were concerned 'donnie' had had his life ruined by the 'japs'
as a race, being italian, having a fanily is very important
so being deprived of that, growing up as an 'orphan' is very harsh
in there eye's he deserved everything he got and worse!
- who am i? im a spoke on a wheel, so was he and so are you.
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I just saw the scene again and the beating is not fun to watch. I think it was disturbing the first time I saw it but not really now. The reason it's disturbing is because all of the sudden there is a very bloody shot of the waiter while he's being beaten, it's unexpected to see this ammount of blood while there was almost no blood or violence in the film before this scene, so you're taken by surprise and that's why you're shocked.
I only read the first few posts in here and the last few, so I appologize if I'm repeating anything that was said already.
I found this entire scene to be incredible. And I don't mean good incredible, I mean I don't believe it. Just outrageous. I don't see how they actually thought this scene would work (but apparently a bunch of yous bought it.)
First, I don't see how a little asian guy is going to step up to them, then raise his voice and keep insisting "I'm afraid you must take your shoes off!" Why would he do that when surrounded by 5 bigger men and especially after one of them has already refused and was bringing racial tension into the conversation. That's one brave waiter if I've ever seen one. -*sigh*
And second, (assuming I bought the first part) what followed was just as incredible. They couldn't just smack him up a bit? You telling me that they are going to beat a guy half to death for that. Why, did he rob the mafia? Sleep with their wives? I know nothing like this happened in the real life story. It was just some Hollywood nonsense they added to try and sell us on how bad these guys were. -*sigh*
And finally third, I think the wiseguys would be more suspicious of Donnie in that situstion. I mean, you know you're all going into an asian restaurant, but you don't say a word about having a problem with that until you are asked to remove your shoes?
The movie could have done without the scene or at least a dulled down version. Otherwise, great movie. And I have nothing against the scene. It was brutal enough for a ganster flick. I just didn't buy it under the circumstances.
Peace.
I don't know, I've seen plenty of gangster dramas and multiple "beating ups of a random extra", but I agree, this was particularly moving, because of several reasons - particularly because we're seeing it through Donnie's perspective, and experiencing the same ambivalent emotions - relief that Donnie retained his undercover identity and managed to avert the gangsters' suspicions onto the waiter, but also a faint sickness that the waiter has to take the fall for Donnie's discretion.
Also, a casual "fvck off" beating would have been more mild, but the racial hatred that incited the fight added a layer of savagery to the scene. It was also weirdly affecting to see the half-dead waiter suddenly push himself up and hit back at the gangsters - most guys would have just curled up, taken the beating and waited for it to end, knowing that he had no chance against five huge guys - but he fought back.
'First, I don't see how a little asian guy is going to step up to them, then raise his voice and keep insisting.'
a couple reasons for that: he says it's tradition. Apparently that's something very important to him and that's the reason he insists on it. People like this exist. There are also people who never had a beating before and are in leadership positions. they come to believe that they are untouchable. This guy could be one of those people but i think tradition is more important to him rather than that he's a prick.
'They couldn't just smack him up a bit?'
It's not completly unbelievable. Stuff like this happens every day and sometimes people even get killed for unsignificant things. Very close to where I live a guy got beat up by a bunch of guys beacause he gave one of them the finger. Supposing the guys that beat him up weren't even gangsters, it's not hard to believe that gangster who do this stuff as a routine wouldn't think twice about doing it.
Another reason for what they did was beacuse of Donnie. Donnie gave a personal and valid reason why he didn't want to take his shoes off. The reason they backed him up was because he was one them and because this meant something to him, it meant something to them (even though they didn't have anything personal against Asians). It's like: my friends enemies are my enemies.
'And finally third, I think the wiseguys would be more suspicious of Donnie in that situstion. I mean, you know you're all going into an asian restaurant, but you don't say a word about having a problem with that until you are asked to remove your shoes? '
Good point. But I think they dismissed any doubt about Donnie beacause his reaction was so strong and believable. At first when Donnie doesn't wanna take his shoes off, the gangsters are suspicious. But look at how the gangsters react to Donnie when he talks about his father. You can see that all their suspicion dissappears.
And finally third, I think the wiseguys would be more suspicious of Donnie in that situstion. I mean, you know you're all going into an asian restaurant, but you don't say a word about having a problem with that until you are asked to remove your shoes?
It's funny whenever American mafia types get self-righteous about WWII they forget what side the Italians were on.
shareI don't understand how anyone can pity that waiter since he acted like a prick even after hearing what happened to Donnie's Dad in Okinawa and more importantly even after Sonny's warning to back off.
I am not saying its the waiter's fault donnie's dad got killed, but he can atleast understand donnie will have problems following the tradition/culture of the people that killed his dad. Moreover how naive can he get, the leader of three or four tough guys is asking him to back off, if he cannot take a direct hint then he deserved what he got. But of course this is just a movie, no one is that thick, i hope.
"I don't think the dead care about vengeance." - James Bond [Quantum of Solace]
The waiter was doing business in the United States. He should have been more sensitive. Do you know how much money our country has given to his country?
shareI always felt bad for the japaense guy. So I just skip that part.
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