--- title: "Donnie Brasco: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/donnie-brasco/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/donnie-brasco" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Donnie Brasco (1997): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Donnie Brasco, with praise centred on the growing attachment between its undercover agent and ageing mobster. Pacino draws the most consistent admiration for making Lefty weary, vulnerable and hungry for connection; several reviews also value Depp’s quieter movement from professional deception towards friendship. The film’s measured attention to ordinary mob life, rather than glamour or action, gives the relationship weight, while the period setting earns praise. The reservations concern suspense, psychological depth and the handling of Donnie’s divided loyalties. Even favourable reviews find some of these elements underdeveloped. The spread is fairly wide, though positive responses predominate: the Los Angeles Times finds the family scenes ineffective and Depp too opaque to sustain the emotional stakes. The New Yorker is more dismissive, faulting missed comic possibilities and abrupt graphic violence. Both dissenters nevertheless find much to admire in Pacino. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3.5/4. 27 February 1997. The film centers on the genuine emotional bond and mutual need that develops between undercover FBI agent Donnie and aging mobster Lefty, framed as a teacher-student friendship rather than violence or action. Ebert highlights the fine performances, especially Pacino’s poignant portrayal of a weary loyal soldier and Depp’s subtle shift from informant to friend. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/donnie-brasco-1997) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic finds the film a credible Mafia tale elevated by outstanding performances from Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, though directed more like a soap opera without much suspense. Pacino's work is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/donnie-brasco-review/) ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 4/5. The 1970s-set crime drama is pitched midway between The Godfather and GoodFellas, developing nicely as Depp's character becomes fond of his mentor. The period setting is beautifully evoked. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bqwfd8/donnie-brasco/) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 February 2015. The film is a tense, sharp and compelling character study and a worthy addition to the mob-movie canon. It is low-key and measured compared to GoodFellas, with Pacino's Lefty dominating scenes through witty script and pathos. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/donnie-brasco) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 March 1997. The review finds the film very involving and dramatic thanks to its loaded central premise and intimate focus on the human toll of undercover work and the growing bond between the leads. It praises Pacino’s fine, emotionally open performance as the key to the film’s success while noting psychological dimensions remain underrealized. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/donnie-brasco-1117432706/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 1997. Turan calls the ambitious film second-hand and undercut by structural problems and casting, with family scenes failing and Depp’s opaque performance limiting emotional stakes. He praises Pacino’s modulated, affecting turn as the weary mob foot soldier hungry for connection. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-02-28-ca-33125-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 1997. The review finds the film thin and halfhearted, faulting director Mike Newell for missing the script’s potential comedy in mobster talk and for shifting abruptly into graphic violence without emotional weight. It singles out Al Pacino’s expressive eyes and the Chekhovian closing scene for quiet perfection amid otherwise ordinary execution. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/03/17/blood-buddies) ## Eye for Film — Symon Parsons Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. The critic declares it the best film made about the Mafia, highlighting its realistic portrayal of mob life as ordinary struggles rather than romanticised glamour. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/donnie-brasco-film-review-by-symon-parsons) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/donnie-brasco.md