Is it actually a true story or should we just forget about it?
The Big Picture
- Donnie Brasco is based on the true story of FBI agent Joe Pistone, who infiltrated the mob in the late 70s and early 80s.
- The majority of the film is accurate, with only about 15% being dressed up by director Mike Newell.
- Joe Pistone still leads a secretive life, using assumed names and undisclosed locations, due to the danger of retribution from the mob.
There have been a handful of movies about brave souls who work undercover for the government against the mob and organized crime. The best may be Martin Scorsese‘s master stroke The Departed starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson. Scorsese also hit “snitch” paydirt with The Irishman in 2011. But the most accurate mob informant thriller may very well be the 1997 movie directed by Mike Newell called Donnie Brasco, led by A-listers Johnny Depp and Al Pacino. There are so many heart-pounding scenes in Donnie Brasco where the FBI agent Joe Pistone is one wrong word away from getting whacked. Given that it’s such an intense story, we decided to dig into the terrific mafia film and see how much of the story actually happened and what Newell took artistic liberty with while looking in on what the informant has been doing in the decades since leaving the FBI.
Donnie Brasco
An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life–at the expense of his regular one.
Who is the Real Donnie Brasco?
Donnie Brasco is the alias of FBI agent Joe Pistone (Depp) who went undercover to work his way into the inner circles of two of the most dangerous and deadly mob families ever. From 1976 to 1981, Pistone assumed this identity and risked his life every day to get information on hundreds of gangsters in the Bonnano and Colombo families. Working primarily in Brooklyn, New York, Pistone befriended a low-level mafioso named Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero (Pacino). He used him to get close to some of the most dangerous organized criminals of the late 70s and early 80s. Pistone has gone on record saying that 85% of the film is accurate, and 15% is dressed up by director Mike Newell. So the majority of the film is factual. Depp and Pistone spent several months together before principal photography began and then Pistone was on set every day during filming. Pistone said that Depp picked up on his mannerisms so well that one day when Pistone’s mother visited the set, she heard Depp’s voice and thought it was her own son’s. Pistone addressed how he added to his value when working undercover, saying,” I had a skill that not many of them had, which was picking locks, burglar alarms, safes. That’s a skill they needed, and I had from my years in Naval Intelligence and taking different FBI courses.” So most of what you see Depp’s character do in Donnie Brasco are things that Pistone really had mastered.
How Did Donnie Brasco Befriend Lefty Ruggiero?
