Donnie Brasco
Donnie Brasco is a crime drama film that was released in 1997 and was directed by Mike Newell. Johnny Depp, Al Pacino and Michael Madsen star in this true story of an FBI undercover agent. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The Plot
The story follows an FBI undercover agent that becomes Donnie Brasco, played by Johnny Depp, who goes undercover in order to infiltrate a mob family. Donnie manages to become friends with an aging hit-man, Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino), who helps get Donnie into the mob. Donnie gets deeper and deeper into the Mafia world and finds himself identifying more with the people he is attempting to expose than his regular life.
The plot is fantastic. Although the film is not completely accurate to the actual events, it is very close with only a few alterations. The story is gripping and is aided by fantastic performances and a brilliant script.
The Performances
This film provides one of Al Pacino's greatest performances. Pacino as Lefty is a flawless performance and it is criminally overlooked for an Oscar nomination. Johnny Depp is also fantastic in this film and the supporting cast are all great in the various roles.
Overall
Overall this is a really great film. The story is gripping and is supported by a fantastic script, with equally good performances from some top stars. The real tragedy of this movie is that it seems to be overlooked and has crept under the radar of the mainstream slightly. A truly great movie.
Rating - 8/10
Showing posts with label al pacino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label al pacino. Show all posts
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Friday, 17 February 2012
Scarface (Remake)
Scarface (1983)
Scarface is a 1983 film that stars Al Pacino, Steven Bauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The movie was directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone and is a remake of the 1932 film of the same name.
The Plot
Scarface tells the story of a Cuban refugee, Tony Montana (Pacino) who arrives in Miami and becomes a drug cartel kingping. The movie explores his rise to the top of the cocaine empire in Miami.
The Performances
I truly believe that all the performances in this film are really good. Al Pacino is obviously great in his role and the support is all just as strong. There are no poor performances here, in a very strong cast.
The Length
For me, the major problem with this film is the length. The film is definitely an hour too long in my eyes and many scenes can probably be left out.
The Climax
The climax scene is an historic one, and probably rightly so. It is really entertaining with the movie's most famous line! The is an iconic scene and one of the best I've seen.
Overall
Overall the film is not, in my eyes, as good as it is often made out to be. Scarface definitely goes on too long, and there is just something missing from it. The performances are all good, and the plot is strong. The climax scene certainly pulls the movie's score up as it really is a great scene, but the film just drags on in many places.
Rating 6/10
Scarface is a 1983 film that stars Al Pacino, Steven Bauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The movie was directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone and is a remake of the 1932 film of the same name.
The Plot
Scarface tells the story of a Cuban refugee, Tony Montana (Pacino) who arrives in Miami and becomes a drug cartel kingping. The movie explores his rise to the top of the cocaine empire in Miami.
The Performances
I truly believe that all the performances in this film are really good. Al Pacino is obviously great in his role and the support is all just as strong. There are no poor performances here, in a very strong cast.
The Length
For me, the major problem with this film is the length. The film is definitely an hour too long in my eyes and many scenes can probably be left out.
The Climax
The climax scene is an historic one, and probably rightly so. It is really entertaining with the movie's most famous line! The is an iconic scene and one of the best I've seen.
Overall
Overall the film is not, in my eyes, as good as it is often made out to be. Scarface definitely goes on too long, and there is just something missing from it. The performances are all good, and the plot is strong. The climax scene certainly pulls the movie's score up as it really is a great scene, but the film just drags on in many places.
Rating 6/10
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