Donnie Brasco Is One of the Most Accurate Portrayals of Mob Life Ever Captured on Film
The 1997 film Donnie Brasco was praised by audiences and critics alike. Today, we separate fact from fiction
The 1997 film Donnie Brasco received high praise from critics and audiences alike for its gritty and realistic portrayal of mafia life in New York during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The film, which stars Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as acclaim from movie critics Siskel and Ebert, who gave the film two thumbs up and praised Pacino’s acting, calling it one of his finest performances.
Depp portrays the title character “Donnie Brasco” which was the alias used by undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone as he attempted to infiltrate and gain intelligence on the New York mafia.
The making of the film was aided by having Joe Pistone on hand as a consultant. He was on set for the duration of the filming and assisted Depp in rendering an accurate portrayal.
Brief Synopsis
For those unfamiliar with the film, it is based on Joe Pistone’s 1988 book “Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia” co-written by Richard Woodley.
The book and film detail Pistone’s historic undercover work and eventual infiltration into the Bonanno crime family, one of New York City’s five mafia families.
For the assignment, Pistone assumed the identity of Donnie Brasco, portraying himself as a streetwise jewel thief looking to make underworld connections. The operation was originally intended to last only six months, but due to Pistone’s unprecedented success, it would drag on for nearly six years.
Eventually, Pistone was proposed for membership in the Bonanno family. This was the first time an active member of law enforcement had been proposed for membership in Cosa Nostra.
This was a major success for Pistone and the FBI. However, it also meant that the undercover operation had to be terminated because in order to be initiated into the Bonannos, Pistone would have had to participate in a murder.
When Pistone finally ended his assignment in 1981, his five-plus years of undercover work led to more than 200 convictions and dealt a devastating blow to the Bonanno family.
As the film ends, the people responsible for introducing Brasco/Pistone into the family paid with their lives.
Characters
Donnie Brasco (Joe Pistone)
The scope of Agent Pistone’s undercover work began as an investigation into illegal fences moving hijacked and stolen goods. Through the operation codenamed Sunapple, Pistone was introduced to some associates of the Colombo crime family.
This was Pistone’s initial introduction to the New York mafia. After becoming close with the head of a crew within the Colombo’s, Pistone began to be acquainted with some of their members.
Pistone explained that he chose the role of a jewel thief for several reasons. Most jewel thieves work alone and are mostly non-violent, so the mobsters he was infiltrating would not expect him to participate in violent crimes…at first.
Pistone used some of the skills he acquired during his time in Naval Intelligence to further lend credibility to his image as a skilled thief. These included cracking safes, bypassing burglar alarms, and picking locks.
However, as depicted in the film, Pistone/Brasco eventually had an altercation with some Colombo guys, ending his association with that family.
By then Pistone had already met Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero, a soldier in the Bonanno family. As Brasco continued to build a rapport with Ruggiero, Lefty would introduce Pistone to more and more members of the Bonannos and continually vouch for Brasco.
Eventually, Brasco was “Put on record” with Lefty. This meant that Brasco was under Lefty and could count on his help if needed. It also meant that he would not be bothered by any wiseguys, and if another mobster wanted to do a crime or make money with Donnie, they would need Lefty’s approval.
During Pistone’s years of undercover work Lefty and Donnie became very close. Brasco was even Ruggiero’s best man during his wedding in 1977.
Joe Pistone would be pulled from his undercover operation in 1981, and his work severely damaged the Bonanno family as well as members of other New York mafia families.
Even today, Pistone leads a low-profile life and continues to use aliases and fake addresses as a precaution against retaliation from the mafia.
Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero
Although he was the film’s co-star, many fans believe Al Pacino stole the show with his portrayal of veteran mobster Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero.
The longtime Bonanno mobster took Donnie under his wing and schooled him in the ways of Cosa Nostra.
Known on the street as “Lefty” for his habit of shooting dice left-handed, Ruggiero taught Donnie the ropes. For instance, he would tell Donnie that if he introduces him as “A friend of mine” it means he is not a made guy. But if he introduces someone as a “Friend of ours” it means he is a made guy, and it is safe to talk in front of him.
Lefty would tell Donnie that a wiseguy is always right even when he’s wrong. As a non-member, he would always lose a dispute. You never argue or talk back to a wiseguy.
He showed Donnie how he and his crew made money, from the mob’s traditional bread and butter of loansharking and extortion to other areas like credit card scams, ripping off parking meters, hijacking, check fraud, and much more.
If there was a buck to be made, they were in on it.
Pacino does a wonderful job of portraying the life of a mafia soldier. His life is far from glamorous. He lives in a modest apartment and is constantly hustling and on the lookout for the next score.
Far from the powerful Michael Corleone, who he brilliantly portrayed in the Godfather trilogy, Lefty is the mafia version of a blue-collar lunch pail guy. Though he has been in that life for a long time and is respected by other wiseguys, he is still at the bottom of the mafia totem pole.
In addition to his mob responsibilities, Lefty has his own personal problems, from his compulsive gambling habit to his son’s heroin addiction, it is certainly not a life of luxury for Lefty.
Dominick “Sonny Black” Napolitano
Dominick Napolitano, better known as “Sonny Black” because he dyed his greying hair jet black, was a powerful member of the Bonanno family who would be promoted to captain for his participation in the famous three captains murders.
These murders effectively ended the civil war that had been raging in the Bonanno family after longtime Bonanno powerhouse Carmine Galante had attempted to usurp power from imprisoned family boss Philip “Rusty” Rastelli.
Following Galante’s murder, three Bonanno captains who had been on the Galante side of the war still refused to acknowledge Rastelli’s authority. On May 5, 1981, the three captains were lured to a meeting in Brooklyn under the guise of working out a peace agreement.
Once there, the three men were ambushed and shot to death. This grisly scene is portrayed in the film, though some details were altered.
Napolitano ended up on the winning side and was rewarded for his loyalty with a promotion to captain. His crew included both Lefty and Donnie. Sonny’s crew was known to be one of the strongest with many big earners.
Raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the tough and well-respected gangster known for his love of racing pigeons would become a close friend and confidant of Brasco during Pistone’s time undercover.
The two would socialize frequently and at one point, became so close that Sonny would introduce Donnie to others as “A friend of ours” even though he was not yet a made man. This goes to show the high esteem that Sonny held for Donnie.
Through his friendship with Sonny, Pistone was able to rub shoulders with mafia higher-ups, which ultimately resulted in hundreds of convictions.
Pistone convinced Sonny to come down to Florida for a “business opportunity.” He introduced Sonny to another undercover agent posing as a sleazy nightclub owner named “Tony Rossi.” Donnie had already introduced Rossi to Lefty, and Ruggiero had agreed to become partners with him in the club.
Believing that Rossi had already been vetted, Sonny set him up with a bookmaking and loansharking operation under Bonanno protection.
While in Florida, Sonny set up a meeting with Tampa boss Santo Trafficante Jr. When Sonny chose to bring Donnie with him to the meeting instead of Lefty, it created tension for all involved.
This was a major win for Pistone and the FBI, who were now building cases on members of other Cosa Nostra families.
Following the murders of the three captains in New York, Sonny got word to Donnie that one of the slain captain’s sons, Bruno Indelicato had not shown up for the meeting and was believed to be hiding out near Miami.
Sonny instructed Donnie to find him and kill him. They wanted to tie up any loose ends and prevent Bruno from seeking revenge for his father’s murder.
Because of the volatile nature of the situation, the FBI ended the operation and removed Pistone from his undercover role. Though he understood their position, Pistone was frustrated with the move because he believed that the Bonanno’s planned to induct him into the family that December (1981).
After the operation was terminated, the FBI visited Sonny at his social club in Brooklyn and revealed that Donnie Brasco was actually FBI agent Joe Pistone. The shock and distress Sonny felt can be seen on his face in surveillance photos taken of him on the roof of his building next to his beloved pigeons.
On August 17, 1981, Sonny was called to a meeting in Staten Island. After arriving to the home, Sonny was led to the basement, where he was shoved down the steps and then shot by a Bonanno soldier.
After being hit, Sonny supposedly told the shooter “Hit me one more time and make it good.” The shooter obliged. Even the members of the hit team admired the courage that he showed in the face of death, saying “He died like a man.”
Nearly a year later, in August 1982, the badly decomposed remains of Dominick "Napolitano were discovered in a wooded area in Staten Island.
Artistic License
According to agent Joe Pistone, the film was about 85% accurate, with only some of the events embellished or changed for artistic license. The following are some of the changes:
Possibly the most significant difference in the film is Pistone’s relationship with his family. On-screen they are depicted as living in New Jersey, with Pistone sneaking away when he could to go see them.
In reality, his family was in a secure location across the country, and during his undercover work, he could only communicate with them by telephone.
One of the scenes Pistone had a problem with was when he was shown slapping his wife after a heated argument. Pistone maintains he has never raised his hand to his wife or family and he had protested the inclusion of the scene, but was ultimately overruled.
This arrangement with his family also meant that the scenes where he and his wife attend marriage counseling was also made up for the film.
Also, the dramatic scene at the end of the film where Lefty leaves his personal effects in a drawer for his girlfriend before he heads towards his imminent death is actually very similar to what happened to Sonny Black.
In the real story, Lefty was arrested and sentenced to prison on racketeering charges shortly after the end of Pistone’s operation. He would serve almost 11 years on a 15-year sentence before being released due to his terminal cancer.
Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero died on November 24, 1994, seven months after his release.
In fact, it was Sonny Black who was summoned to a meeting he would never return from. Prior to going to the meeting, Napolitano gave his keys and personal items to his club’s bartender, telling him; “I gotta go, and I’m probably not coming back.”
The change in the film was likely due to Pacino’s performance in the movie and the connection the audience feels with him. The scene where he is saying goodbye to his girlfriend is one of the most powerful in the film.
Trivia
During the original cut of the film, one of the real Sonny Black’s crew was portrayed using his real name. John “Boobie” Cerasani sued TriStar Pictures for defamation of character for the way he is portrayed in the film.
Although the lawsuit was eventually dismissed, the studio chose to rename the character anyway, changing the name to “Paulie.”
The film’s iconic “Lion scene,” where Lefty and Donnie are feeding a full-grown lion hamburgers in the back seat of Lefty’s car, was actually based on real events.
According to Pistone, members of Sonny Black’s crew had a lion cub that they kept in Sonny’s club. Eventually, when the lion got too big, they moved him to a vacant warehouse, where according to Pistone, it was fed about $100 worth of steaks a day.
Eventually, they realized that this was not sustainable, and had someone take the lion at night and chain him to a tree in a Brooklyn park. They then alerted the police and the lion was rescued.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, Donnie Brasco is an entertaining film filled with great performances. It is one of the more gritty and realistic depictions of the mafia in film and tells an incredible story.
Sources:
Pistone, Joseph P. & Woodley, Richard. “Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia.” NAL Books, 1988, https://www.amazon.com/Donnie-Brasco-Undercover-Joseph-Pistone/
Speicher, Jeffery. “The True Story Behind Donnie Brasco.” Collider, 5 January 2024, https://collider.com/donnie-brasco-true-story
LeFebvre, Dan. “173: Donnie Brasco with Joe Pistone and Leo Rossi.” Based on a True Story, Published 4 January 2024, https://www.basedonatruestorypodcast.com/173-donnie-brasco-with-joe-pistone-and-leo-rossi/
“Bonanno Captain [ Sonny Black ]” Youtube, Uploaded by Sitdownnews: John Pennisi, 1 May 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMOPcuwdDwI&t=4s