Unpopular opinion: This is a much better film than Goodfellas
Come at me, MC!
shareNahhhh, not even close. And I like this movie.
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MovieChat Forums > Donnie Brasco (1997) Discussion > Unpopular opinion: This is a much better...
Errr no. I have just watched this movie for the first time. It's not bad, but it doesn't have anything particularly memorable in it as far as gangster movies go; nothing jumping out in the dialogue, no characters that stay with you after the credits roll, nothing special about the directing and storytelling. The acting is solid enough and Depp and Pacino have quite good chemistry but overall it doesn't offer much new to the gangster genre, if you've seen the classics. In fact it's fairly subtle in the way it portrays the mob life compared to other films. I guess you can look at that and say that's what's different about it.
Goodfellas on the other hand ticks all those things I mentioned above. That's why that is one of the classics and this one is more forgotten about.
I tend to agree with @BillySlater regarding Donnie Brasco. I had read Joe Pistone’s book years before the movie came out and that may be partly why I appreciate Donnie Brasco so much.
For me, it shows a grittier side of the mafia...no silk suits like in other mob movies. The small scams they run or things they steal to make a buck. And I guess the inherent tension of an FBI agent getting that far undercover is very intriguing to me.
All that said, I do love Goodfellas and am watching The Godfather (for the hundredth time) as I type this. :)
P.S. I also LOVE The Sopranos!!
Yep, that´s what I love about this movie. It´s much grittier. Al Pacino´s acting is off the charts as well. The subtle body movements and shoulder shrugs are brilliant. Ex-mobster, Michael Franzese said Donnie Brasco is the most realistic mafia film ever. Its biggest weakness is that it gets a bit bogged down with Donnie´s marital problems. Nevertheless, I still love it.
What bothers me about Goodfellas is Henry Hill as the protagonist. He´s such a slimeball that I never care what happens to him. When I watch a movie, I like to be emotionally invested in the main characters. I don´t get that with Goodfellas. At least in Casino, Sam Rothstein has some admirable qualities to him, Henry Hill is just a degenerate schmuck. Donnie Brasco is just a cop trying to do his job. When he might be caught, you feel the tension. Lefty Ruggiero is a very bad guy but they find a way of humanizing him. You almost feel sympathy for him, when he doesn´t get upped, or when he loses Donnie to Sonny Black. I never have that emotional connection in Goodfellas, so none of the Mobster scenes matter that much to me apart from the shock value of them.
@Mnphoto: Do you prefer the theatrical or extended cut of Donnie Brasco?
I have to admit that I don’t think I have seen the extended cut. Would you recommend it?
shareYes, its interesting, the relationship between Sonny Black and Donnie is explored further in some key scenes. The theatrical is a much tighter version but I still enjoyed the extended. Would have to see both again to decide which one I prefer though.
shareI hated Goodfellas, so while not a fan of Donnie Brasco yes, it's better.
shareI recently saw this and The Departed, which is very similar to Donnie Brasco. It also focuses on undercover work by feds/cops and to be honest, I think DB is a much better film. I know you wanted a comparison between DB and GF but I thought I would mention this, if you like DB I would recommend The Departed but again, I liked DB quite a bit more, your opinion might be different though. As mentioned previously in this thread, DB is just a lot more grittier and raw, and it just felt very realistic, whereas, The Departed is like caricature versions of police officers and gangsters. And TD felt very contrived, with everything fitting together perfectly, it didn't have any realness to it.
As far as Goodfellas goes, I think I favor GF a little more than DB and that's probably because of Joe Pesci's performance, it was one of my favorite performances of all time in a gangster film. While Depp was solid in this, it wasn't Oscar worthy, Pacino was very good as usual but he's always good in movies like this.
At the end of the day, I'm going to give DB a very very solid 8.1 out of 10... great movie in my view and one of the better gangster films I've seen in a while.
No. It's a good movie, but it's not on the same level as Goodfellas.
shareIt’s an excellent Mob picture and I’ve seen it many times but I do prefer Goodfellas.
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