Forget
Scent of a Woman
and the Oscar, this is
Al
Pacino's best and most understated performance
in years, as sad, middle-level mobster Lefty Ruggiero,
who seals his own fate by vouching for young Brasco
(
Johnny Depp)
who just happens to be undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone.
A completely unexpected little masterpiece from Brit
director
Mike
Newell, previously responsible for the frankly
snoozeworthy mummy movie
The
Awakening (with
Charlton
Heston) and the fluffy crowd-pleaser
Four
Weddings and a Funeral.
It’s set mostly in
New
York, and was all shot there – even the short
Miami episode. The Little Italy bar where Lefty and
Donnie first meet was
Mare
Chiaro, 176 Mulberry Street between Broome
and Grand Streets.
