Has too be the best blu-ray movie i have EVER seen and i buy a lot. Its the extended version and it seemed like the movie went on for hours... As for the PQ and the Audio 100% and better. Thank you for a great blu-ray for my collection.

None of us knows what it's really like to go undercover. We think we do but we don't. Sure, we've watched the movies, read the books and all but what it's doing to your soul, your family life, everything, that it destroys all you have and feel, that is what this movie is about.
When Lefty (Al Pacino as a low level mobster) takes in Donnie (Johnny Depp as an undercover FBI agent) he tells him "Wiseguys are always right. Even when they're wrong they're right," he is wrong. Dead wrong. He just doesn't know it yet.
Lefty treats Donnie as a son and Donnie gets emotionally involved. In his own way Lefty has a big heart, his hopes and dreams. But the dirt gets in the way and they don't materialize.
Bit by bit both Lefty's and Donnie's lives derail. Donnie starts losing his wife and kids and Lefty his rank in the (crime)family.
Can they do anything to save what's left? Do they want to and if so, what is more important, life as it was, friendship or the uncertain future? Does risking everything justify the costs?
Based on a true story this marvelous film shows the dirt as it is. Forget about the romance of other mobster movies and enter loyalty and misery. Both Al Pacino and Johnny Depp give larger than life performances. The supporting cast is terrific as is the directing. The 70s style indoor lighting helps turn it into a timeless masterpiece.
The Blu-ray disc is sharp as can be. This one should be in your collection.

This item came ontime and was in perfect condition. Just the way it should be

Donnie Brasco looks fantastic in HD. I'm super impressed by the popping color in this Catalog Transfer. Wonderful looking...

Donnie Brasco (Extended Cut) [Blu-ray]
Boring...boring...boring...
Made by Hollywood bubbleheads...for Hollywood airheads...
actors were sleepwalking while mumbling their sorry lines...
please, I'll pay just not to watch it.

I did not realize there is such a difference in DVD's. I ordered the worng one and had to send it back.

I remember catching Donnie Brasco in the theater and thinking it was stupendous back in 1997. The entire cast is as solid as Goodfellas ... or any other movie for that matter. Initially I held off from buying the Blu-Ray because I wasn't sure if the film stock of '97 would have all of the detail that high-def reveals, but this transfer is excellent. The few scenes that seem kind of soft are outweighed by the 99% of beautiful footage. I especially enjoyed the extra scenes added back into the film. I remember the theatrical release seemed to skim over Donnie's home life because there was so much story to tell about him infiltrating the mob. Now I see they actually had tons of footage of his marriage with Anne Heche's character. Normally extended versions have stuff that you think could have remained on the cutting room floor. In this case, every bit of it belonged back in the film. I regret that I didn't get to see all of that footage on the big screen, but now a high def at home is like having the big screen at your house. Like every other reviewer has mentioned Depp, Pacino, Madsen, Bruno Kirby and Anne Heche make the best cast possible. It's a must for any Blu-Ray library.

This movie is so real. I love it and can watch it over and over again. Do recommend it.

An FBI undercover agent (Depp) infiltrates the mob by befriending a low-level mobster (Pacino) and finds himself being slowly drawn in to their sleazy world. A tough and unglamorous look at the workings of the mob in 1970's New York with Johnny Depp and Al Pacino excellent in the lead roles. A memorable movie enhanced by a great blue-ray transfer.

This movie ranks with Godfather I and II and Goodfellas for the best Mafia flicks of all time. Fuhgeddaboudit, this movie is no fugazzi.
Buy this on Blu-ray and enjoy it more than ever.
I find myself buying my favorite DVD movies again in blu-ray format. The picture and sound are worth the upgrade; much like the advancement from VHS to DVD.

This movie is definitely one of the best. We've followed Al Pacino as "The Godfather", "Scarface" and now in "Donnie Brasco". Full circle of characters from the very top to the very bottom. This is probably one of the most realistic "mob movies" ever. This Blu-ray edition is the best ever with some extended scenes and unmatched clarity. Well worth it for your collection.
Fuggettaboutit !

After reading the book, I was hyped to see the movie. I was let down by the movie, so many details left out. See the movie, then read the book.

Goodfellas was the first Mafia movie that actually got it right. Donnie Brasco is the second. Personally I think they wasted film and time showing his personal problems with his wife and children, but I can see where showing his mental anguish at being away from his family, and in creating relationships with mobsters might have weighed heavily on him. This is a good movie.

The transfer quality of the catalog release is outstanding for a 10 year old movie that many people overlook, and the 5.1 PCM track combined with this crisp video makes an amazing presentation. All catalog releases should look this good, and the movie itself is nothing to sneeze at, with a performance from Pacino that makes you both feel for him and want to hit him at the same time. Depp pulls off a subtle and nuanced character that is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Jack Sparrow, slowly showing Pistone's life fall apart piece by piece as he is forced to juggle his marriage and job.

This is one of my favorite Depp or Pacino movies. These two make a great mob/ wiseguy flick that delivers on all fronts. Good suspense, great acting, great plot, and its all based on a true story. Not to mention the sound and picture quality on this edition! If you like mob or gangster movies and you have an HDTV, then you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this release, pronto!

DONNIE BRASCO is an excellent film in every way. The justly Oscar-nominated screenplay is complexly layered. The performances are all of the highest calibre. Pacino should have received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance as Lefty and Anne Heche deserved a nod in the Supporting Actress performance as Donnie's put upon wife. This was Depp's first great performance as well. His Donnie has to be able to operate on three levels simultaneously - allowing the audience to perceive wordlessly what he is thinking and feeling, while not betraying any of this to the underworld characters he is interacting with - a subtle and galvanized performance.

At first with a moustache and sporting a Brooklyn accent, Depp as Donnie is an FBI agent infiltrating a NY mob. His protector is a two-bit gangster, Lefty, disillusioned that he has nothing to show for a life time of service. He is also disappointed in his drug-addicted son. Donnie gives him a chance to believe in something and becomes his surrogate son. Donnie in turn gives Lefty the respect and schemes for wealth that have been absent from his life. These two bond in ways that go beyond the FBI's predictions of what the sting should look like.

Donnie becomes enmeshed with Lefty, slowly becoming a "wise guy" himself, disillusioned at the lack of respect and reward he as an FBI agent is receiving. As the sting gets closer, Donnie is torn between doing his job and saving his new friend, Lefty.

It is an emotional film and one very taut and tense. There are moments when we are sure Donnie is going to be exposed and we cringe. The whole thing is superbly directed by Mike Newell, who manges to extract amazing nuances from a script that Scorcese would have trampled over. (Indeed Scorcese's THE DEPARTED is simply a reworking of the DONNIE BRASCO script with two infiltrators rather than one.)

The mob is ugly- we are taken inside their world and see them for what they are - macho, ugly, brutal, ignorant, uneducated, evil pieces of scum - disgusting and revolting dregs of humanity. Newell pulls no punches here - be warned. We are shown in minute detail the steps whereby a novice gets into the undeworld and how he moves up, step by step - as well as the "language" of the streets.

There is an excellent and unobstrusive dramatic score. Paul Giammatti (sp?) appears in two small scenes, one as the inquistor we've been waiting for, asking "So, what does 'Forget about it!' really mean?"

To sum up: This is an excellent film about ugly people with a superb script, fine direction and top notch performances. One of the best and Depp's first step up the ladder to his position today as America's best screen actor.

I loved this movie on standard DVD but the difference the High Def transfer makes is breath taking The blacks are ink blank, the sets and surroundings really pop out at you. A must have for high def customers

This is one of the great realist mafia films: you see guys in stalled "careers" making bad decisions and desperate to score in order to placate greedy bosses. Their world is dangerous and empty, utterly lacking in trust and glamour. Enter Donnie, who exploits a mark's frustrations and some of the good side of his character, an older man who is willing to mentor him in the ways of the wise guys. While you catch glimpses of the bosses, who exude an arrogant malevolence, it is all about their bag boys, the "spokes on the wheel." There is nothing romantic about their world.

The acting in this film is truly superb, in particular the chemistry between Pacino and Depp. Warmly recommended.

no problems with this DVD; this is a very good movie and I like the extra materia; in fact anything they still have and didn't add to the movie will make it better because it's so good

It's a superb movie -- one of the best depicting the true picture and psyche of the mafia. Johnny Depp is oustanding and Al Pacino gives one of his best performances ever in this movie.

The depth of feeling, the subtlety of expression in the acting of Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, and Anne Heche--and many others--in this extraordinary film has no equal in any other film about organized crime that I know of. While other gangster films--even some of the best--seem to worship violence, romanticize thuggery, and idealize both good and evil, this one tells the story of real, complex people struggling with their real, complicated lives. The fact that those lives do not resemble ours very much at all makes the film fascinating, but not foreign or artificial in any way. It may be that Donnie Brasco is less well-known than it should be because it bursts the bounds of its genre.

Based on the real-life Joe Pistone's memoirs, Mike Newell's "Donnie Brasco" offers one of the freshest takes on the gangster film since "GoodFellas," capturing gritty street life in 1970s New York City as well as the melancholy mood of the times. In one of the great roles of his late career, Pacino excels as Mafia nobody Lefty, combining a wise guy's street swagger with a loving, fatherly air as he takes Donnie under his wing. Depp is equally strong as the conflicted cop, dutifully mining information but increasingly strained by his dual life--so much so that the cracks start showing. A gritty, poignant drama of divided loyalties.

I have owned this movie in the past, but it was on VHS!
This is how the movie was meant to be seen and heard! The Picture Quality is top notch, and the Uncompressed Audio track makes this Movie felt and heard!

After 10 yrs the picture was awesome, my wife even commented on the clarity, which always helps justify a purchase!

If you haven't seen this in awhile, get the Blu-Ray! It is well worth it!

It is hard to believe the best organized crime movie set in the U.S. would be directed by a British director, but that is exactly what you find here. Donnie Brasco eschews the melodrama of lots of mafia films and creates a personal, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and social film all in one--and to top it off it's aesthetically brilliant, and Al Pacino reaches somewhere (not sure where) and creates the most on target portrayal he or just about any actor has done on film. I say this as an actor--and serious actors can tell when an actor 'gets it' or not. It's not clear whether Mike Newell helped him, but Newell provides a min-course in film directing through his commentary--it's the best commentary I've ever heard--and demonstrates, despite what critics don't like to admit (or perhaps don't want to know)that an articulate artist can explicate a work of art better than a critic who is not an artist. This is not an anti-critic rant; just an observation I've made from reading both sides of the equation.

5 stars for better picture quality. Very clean picture quality. Great sound mix.
3 stars for the new cut. Prefer the original cut.
2 stars since the deleted scences are already in the original cut
1 star... No new features. Missing commentary.

Great film, in the clearest picture yet. Buy it you won't be let down. Oh yeah the audio quality is pretty good too!

This is an all around outstanding film. The script is great, the acting is great. The scenery and costumes all feel very real. It's a violent subject (and not one I normally like for a movie) but the film makes you feel for the characters, especially Donnie Brasco/Joe Pistone. And, even though he's the bad guy and I know he got what he deserved, I couldn't help but feel something for Lefty Guns, too.

The film interested me so much that I bought both the book that it was based on and Joe Pistone's follow up book, "Unfinished Business." I highly recommend both of them. Joe Pistone is a true American hero.

LOVED THIS FILM.IT IS TRULY A MASTERPEICE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE.

I loved this movie when it originally came out. The casting is spot on and this Blu-ray edition shows it off like it was meant to be seen. A definite must have for any fan of Depp, Pacino, and mobster flicks.

It's a good freakin' film, fuhgedaboudit! If you love Goodfellas, you'll really like Donnie Brasco.

This griity and grim mob flick, deftly directed by Mike Newell, is based upon the true story of FBI undercover, Joe Pistone, who. as his alter ego "Donnie Brasco", infiltrated the mob for a number of years, resulting in its eventual decimation. So artfully did the real Joe Pistone infiltrate and so well did he do his job, that he and his family were obliged to enter the witness protection program for their safety, as a contract was ultimately put out on Joe Pistone's life.

Here, Johnny Depp, plays the role of Joe Pistone/Donnie Brasco. He is terrific in the role, and the viewer watches him become absorbed by the lifestyle of the mobsters with whom he associates. He is befriended by "Lefty" Ruggierro, artfully played Al Pacino. Shifty and
common, "Lefty" typifies your low level made guy, the guy on the fringes doing the dirty work, a real bottom feeder. He is the guy who does the hits, and he is the guy the higher ups look to whack when something goes wrong. It is not an enviable or glamourous life, as has been made out by other films, such as the "Godfather" and "Goodfellas". The existence of "Lefty" and the legions like him is gritty and grim, always a bridesmaid and never a bride.

"Lefty" takes Brasco under his wing and vouches for him. He shows Brasco the ABCs of becoming a "made" guy. "Lefty" himself wants to move up in the mob hierarchy. It soon becomes painfully obvious that that ain't gonna happen. One cannot help feel a little sorry for "Lefty", so limited is his world view and so at the mercy of others. Still, "Lefty" gives Donnie some invaluable lessons on mob etiquette. He also unburdens himself to Donnie, treating him as if he were his adopted son. The bond between the two men grows. As this happens, Donnie finds himself being pulled more and more into the world of mobsters, until his old and new reality begin to merge.

As he distances himself drom his wife (Anne Heche) and family, Brasco is thrust into a maelstrom of mob violence that threatens to tear him apart and consume him. He tries to get "Lefty" to go straight and retire, in hope of avoiding his betrayal. It is to no avail. Brasco, in for a penny, in for a pound, now stands to become a "made" guy himself. It is only at the eleventh hour that an intervention set up by the FBI plays itself out, setting up the betrayal of "Lefty". It is a sad moment for Brasco, as he knows that "Lefty" has just been handed a death sentence at the hands of the mob for vouching for an FBI agent. It is Brasco's ultimate salvation, however, as he was on the brink of committing an unpardonable act, one in which he would have crossed the line and from which there would have been no turning back. It is a decision that was, luckily for him, taken out of his hands.

Al Pacino gives the defining, superlative performance in this film. Anne Heche is sensational as the put upon, concerned wife, who watches her husband change into someone she can barely recognize. Johnny Depp, likewise, gives a stellar performance as the angst ridden FBI undercover agent. All in all, a terrific film with a stellar cast and well worth having in one's collection.

What a combo. When this movie was made, Depp was emerging as a truly great actor, alongside the great Al Pacino. Fantastic!

If you like mob movies this one is for you! Johnny Depp's best.

Filmed entirely in NYC and some in N.J. "Donnie Brasco" is one suspensful realistic gangster film. Excellent classical soundtrack by composer Patrick Doyle. Great acting from Al Pacino and Johnny Depp portraying real life gangster Benjamin Ruggierio, and N.Y.P.D. officer Joeseph D. Pistone. I swear at times watching this movie Pacino and Depp were the charachters and forgot that these superstar actors were acting. The late Bruno Kirby plays an excellent but lovable gangster. Mike Madsen plays a tough authentic, believable Boss Sonny Black. The story for "Donnie Brasco" was taken from the real eyewitness, and experiences of former cop Joe D. Pistone. From what I've read, and from what I've seen on tv documentaries on the real "Donnie Brasco", this movie is portrayed as close to the eyewitness accounts and experiences of Joseph D. Pistone as possibly could be portrayed. Director Mike Newell did an incredible job not only directing, but going to the real Little Italy in Manhatten and speaking to real life gangsters to get a real feel of the life that real mobsters lead. Newell really did his research on Donnie Brasco, as the result is one fine realistic gangster movie. Believe me there is nothing Hollywwood about this gangster movie. "Donnie Brasco" may not be as good as "The Godfather" movies or "Goodfellas" but as I will tell you, it is more authentic than any of the afore mentioned movies. Donnie Brasco is gory at times. There is a scene were Donnie (officer Joe D. Pistone) was forced to cut up dead human bodies to get rid of the evidence. During this time, when the real Joseph D. Pistone was undercover (1976-1981) real gangsters in NYC were performing these horrible acts. During these times real life gangsters like Roy Demeo and his Gang were performing these violent acts at will and made quite a name for themselves in La Cosa Nostra. Even the N.Y.C. Godfather himself Paul Castellano was very intimidated by the likes of Roy Demeo and his savage gang. Castellano although intimidated, tolerated Demeo for his awesome earning rackets. "Donnie Brasco" brings this horrific gangster act to life as well as the illegal money rackets going on at this time. Director Mike Newell read up on Roy Demeo and his Gang and brought their actions to the screen and left Hollywood make believe far behind. All I can say is watching "Donnie Brasco" made me see the guts undercover officer Joseph D. Pistone had. It really took a special person to do what Joe did. For all his troubles, all Pistone got was a $500.00 check, a medal and a several year stay in the Witness Protection Program. Joe D. Pistone lives in annomity today as there is still a price on his head. "Donnie Brasco" is highly recommended viewing as it is portrayed realistically and authentically. Director Mike Newell definintly left the hollywood gangster out of this film........

Great Movie. A must have for any fan of gangster films. Check it out...