Donnie Brasco - The ultimate 'slow burn'

'Donnie Brasco' is one of those 'based on real life' types of stories.  Like many (I suspect!), I don't know an awful lot about the 'real events' it was based on, but I get that the overall premise is pretty accurate - namely a young FBI agent (Johnny Depp) spends many years infiltrating America's organised crime family with a view to bringing it down.  He does this by befriending a mid-level gangster (Al Pacino) who he uses as his 'way in.'

If I was being harsh I'd say that there's not much here that's new in terms of crime/gangster flicks.  However, when you have such acting heavyweights as Pacino and Depp as the leads, you know it's going to be worth a watch.  It's hard to say which one is the 'true' star, as both give excellent performances showing a level of relatability many other similar films don't even come close to.  Just because Pacino is the 'bad guy,' doesn't mean you're going to hate him.  Similarly, just because Depp is the fine, upstanding lawman, doesn't mean that he's beyond making bad decisions - especially when it comes to his homelife which, as you may imagine, takes one hell of a battering due to his 'work commitments.'

Because it is using real life as its source material, there is a distinct lack of 'action,' i.e. if you're hoping for some major action set-pieces with plenty of shoot-outs and car chases then this is not the film for you.  In some ways it's a 'one note' story - the only real moment of tension is wondering how and when Pacino and the gangsters are going to realise that they have a 'mole' in their ranks.

However, this 'moment of tension' is stretched out for around two hours - quite a feat - and one that might come across as boring in the hands of less skilled actors.  However, like I say, with the Pacino and Depp combo at the forefront, no moment of screen time is really wasted.

As I say, it's not 'action-packed,' so if you're in the mood for some sort of fast-paced rollercoaster ride of a film then this isn't one for you.  However, if you have a couple of hours to kill and want to watch two actors in their prime, sparring off each other in a slow burn of a movie that is based on real life - giving it a certain amount of higher stakes in my opinion, then definitely give this one a go.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that