If you are looking for a classic mobster movie, Donnie Brasco should be your go to choice. Al Pacino and Johnny Depp are the main characters throughout the film. Also, the movie is based on a true story which makes it very interesting for viewers to compare the movie to the actual real life events. 

Johnny Depp plays Joe Pistone who works for the FBI. Pistone lives a double life, posing as a mobster in New York City. Pistone goes by the name Donnie Brasco. Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero is in the mob and ends up taking Pistone under his wing. In order to stay under cover, Throughout the movie Lefty vouches for Brasco which ends up becoming a very significant detail.

Donnie’s life got consumed by his work of infiltrating and busting the mobs that ran NYC. So much that his relationship with his wife Maggie failed. He even ended up hitting her towards the end of the film. Donnie would spend weeks and months without his wife which led to a toxic relationship. Donnie was consumed by his job and even stated that, “He wasn’t becoming one of them, he is them.” 

Brasco is now in the mob alongside Lefty, under Sonny Black. Throughout the film Brasco spends time all around New York City collecting data for the FBI. Eventually he spends time in Miami, Florida which leads to a downward spiral regarding rival mob member Sonny Red. Due to Pistone’s success at infiltrating the Mafia, FBI supervisor Dean Blanford, takes an interest in the case. Blanford asks Pistone to incorporate a Miami-based FBI agent, Richard “Richie” Gazzo, into Pistone’s operation.  

Lefty and Donnie’s plan is to run a club in Miami in order to impress Florida mob Boss Santo Trafficante Jr. with a yacht trip. Unfortunately for Lefty, Sonny Black reached out to Trafficante first which led him taking full responsibility for the club. 

To the viewers surprise, it turns out this club plan was a setup. Trafficante was colluding with rival mobster Sonny Red and made sure the club was raided by the Miami Police department. Those series of events lead to back and forth tension and deaths between the two mobs. 

The concluding fifteen minutes of the film leads the audience to a dock were Lefty is being betrayed by Donnie. Lefty wants Donnie to kill Sonny Blacks son Bruno in order to prove his loyalty. While they sit in the car and discuss Lefty tells Donnie,”If you’re a rat, then I’m the biggest mutt in the history of the mafia.” The FBI is at the dock and is waiting for Lefty and they shortly arrest him. The following scene is Lefty getting a call, kissing his girlfriend goodbye, emptying his valuables. Basically Lefty was going to get killed because he vouched for Donnie. Donnie received many awards for his service led to over one hundred convictions.