Not your typical mob film

"Donnie Brasco" is much different than your typical mob film like "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas" because it involves elements of life that we, as average citizens, are more familiar with. While other classics such as "The Godfather" show you life from the inside of the mob, trying to make you sympathize with the characters you meet, "Donnie Brasco" takes you in from the outside, through the title character's eyes. Director Mike Newell ("Four Wedding and a Funeral," "Pushing Tin") takes on new territory with this film and does so very well. His success with the material probably comes in a large part because the story is more about a friendship between two men than it is about the mob.

The film opens in a coffee shop with a conversation between Donnie Brasco, played by Johnny Depp ("Sleepy Hollow," "Nick of Time," "Don Juan DeMarco"), and Lefty Ruggiero, played by the talented Mr. Pacino ("Godfather," "Insider," "Heat," "Scent of a Woman," etc.). Lefty is a member of the mob who feels his career is on the downfall, and he is in need of someone to whom he can be a mentor. He finds his man in Donnie, who, unbeknownst to him, is really Joe Pistone, an undercover FBI agent. Pistone has volunteered for an incredible amount of work in agreeing to infiltrate the mob. Donnie and Lefty immediately become friends and gradually earn each other's trust. Lefty introduces Donnie into the mob where Donnie works his way up, earning the trust of all those around him, under Lefty's guiding hand.

The more familiar element of the film is seen in Pistone's connection with the world outside the mob. He has three daughters with his wife Maggie, played by Anne Heche ("Psycho" (1998)," "Six Days Seven Nights," "Return to Paradise"). Maggie is understandably frazzled by her husband's undercover work which causes him to be away from his family for many days at a time. She even senses that he is becoming more and more connected with the mob, so much so that he is having difficulty distinguishing between his two lives.

The performances in this film are all around magnificent. Al Pacino turns in a perfect performance as usual - that he was snuffed by the Academy is a terrible injustice. Johnny Depp joins in with the best performance of his career as a man who, for years, struggles to keep two separate lives afloat. Michael Madsen ("Reservoir Dogs," "Species") turns in an outstanding supporting performance as Sonny Black, a man who is put in charge of a branch of the mob early in the film when his boss is killed. There are no weak performances in the film, as every actor does a perfect job with his or her respective role.

What makes "Donnie Brasco" even more enjoyable is knowing that it is based on an incredible true story, "Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia" by Joseph Pistone. Joe Pistone risked his life day in a day out working as an undercover FBI agent in the New York mob. Unlike the recent CBS television series, "Falcone," this film does a very respectable job in honoring Pistone's work.

I allowed "Donnie Brasco" to sit on the shelf in my video store for years before checking it out. I urge you not to make the same mistake as I did, but to go rent (or buy) it today!

Rated R for language, violence, and brief sexuality