1 00:00:05,599 --> 00:00:08,880 When I introduce you, I'm gonna say this is a friend of mine. 2 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:13,480 That means you're a connected guy. Now, if I saidence that this is 3 00:00:13,519 --> 00:00:18,879 a fALS, that would mean to a maid guy. APIs. When Lefty 4 00:00:19,039 --> 00:00:22,839 brought Danny into his world, who's this game, Donnie in front of mine? 5 00:00:22,879 --> 00:00:26,280 He took a risk on a kid he hardly knew. And I'm gonna 6 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,359 have to school you and my friend school me in on why this guy never 7 00:00:29,399 --> 00:00:32,520 carries his money in the water and always in a role bena out of the 8 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:35,840 outside. He gave him his trust. Try to get rid of a mustache 9 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,359 and get yourself a pair of parts. Stress stress like me. He loved 10 00:00:39,439 --> 00:00:43,119 him like a son. Nobody can touch you because I represent you. Get 11 00:00:43,119 --> 00:00:46,439 your nose clean, follow the rules, be a good onion, and maybe 12 00:00:46,439 --> 00:00:50,119 one day when they opened the books, you could come a white guy. 13 00:00:50,759 --> 00:00:55,840 I die with your dolly. But he never knew the truth. There's a 14 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,159 war going on in that mafia family and that his word Joe is undercover. 15 00:00:59,399 --> 00:01:02,920 Oh day a man, I want to know where my husband is. We 16 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:04,599 don't know. You're gonna freeze up. No, a lot of guy's freeze 17 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,319 up. He said it was gonna be three months. Let's go on three 18 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,079 years. Who he's with and who he's close to? The are all the 19 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,079 top dogs. Now he's right in the line of fire. And there was 20 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:15,799 a rat and flower that dummy. You know what to do when you find 21 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,040 that rat right left? It could be I found him a ruddy and our 22 00:01:19,159 --> 00:01:23,599 thing you get sent for. You go in alive, You'll come out debt 23 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,280 and it's your best friend that does it. You've got to pull him out. 24 00:01:27,599 --> 00:01:32,239 You think I'm a rapt how many times I have you into my own 25 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,680 house? If you're a rat, then I'm the biggest month in the history 26 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,840 as a mafia. If I come out left, he dies, They're gonna 27 00:01:38,879 --> 00:01:42,519 kill him because he vouched for me, because he stood up for me. 28 00:01:42,079 --> 00:01:45,319 That's the same thing as if I put a bulling this and myself. Do 29 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:51,480 you understand who am I? I'm ana spoke on a wheel and sing you 30 00:01:53,439 --> 00:02:00,200 they die? Yeah, let's take a walk. I'm your must work. 31 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:14,560 This goes without saying, especially if you are a longtime listener of this program 32 00:02:14,599 --> 00:02:21,560 and Matt Connerton. Unleashed Gangster films are some of my favorite all time films. 33 00:02:21,879 --> 00:02:27,479 Watching The Godfather in nineteen ninety eight made me see film as art and 34 00:02:27,599 --> 00:02:34,159 not just entertainment. It also led to me researching the Mafia or La Cosa 35 00:02:34,199 --> 00:02:40,159 Nostra feverishly, something I still do to this day. One film that stands 36 00:02:40,199 --> 00:02:45,800 out to me not just because it's a true story, but how it is 37 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:53,159 an in depth profile of those that lived the life. Released in nineteen ninety 38 00:02:53,199 --> 00:02:59,520 seven, directed by Mike Newell and based off the real account of FBI special 39 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:06,120 agent Joe D. Pistone, Donnie Brasco tells the tale of Pistone played by 40 00:03:06,199 --> 00:03:10,159 Johnny Depp, a man that goes undercover into the Banano crime family as jewel 41 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:17,240 thief Donnie Brasco. What begins is a simple undercover task becomes much greater when 42 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:25,599 Brasco is befriended by lifetime wise guy Lefty left Guns Ruggerio played by Al Pacino, 43 00:03:27,319 --> 00:03:31,400 and gets fast tracked on his way to becoming a member of the mafia. 44 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:38,680 Our first clip is Brasco being introduced to Ruggerio. This scene is important 45 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:45,759 because it shows how Brasco has no fear in telling this reputed wise guy that 46 00:03:45,919 --> 00:03:53,159 is Diamond is a fake, despite knowing Ruggerio's standing and that he could essentially 47 00:03:53,319 --> 00:04:00,360 kill Brasco with no repercussions. Then the clip after that will show Ruggie Area 48 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:06,039 beginning to school or teach Donnie on the ways of the mafia in the way 49 00:04:06,159 --> 00:04:13,439 people are described while taking him to a family meeting with the boss of the 50 00:04:13,479 --> 00:04:29,319 Banano family. You're down the jeweler. Yeah, there's some beautiful thing. 51 00:04:35,639 --> 00:04:40,560 How don't you give it to your wife? My wife. I'm not gonna 52 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:44,399 give it to my wife. I ain't married. They're a girlfriend, Yeah, 53 00:04:44,399 --> 00:04:48,839 I got a girlfriend. Yeah, so marry him. Hey, you're 54 00:04:48,879 --> 00:04:55,399 for real. I'm asking you the middle a diamond for me. Now. 55 00:04:55,439 --> 00:04:58,800 All I want from my end is eight thousand. What I'm saying to you 56 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:01,279 is you should give it to somebody that don't know any better, because that's 57 00:05:01,319 --> 00:05:06,879 it for gazing. All right, that's it for gazing. How do you 58 00:05:06,879 --> 00:05:10,639 know it's a food gazing? You looked at it for two seconds? What 59 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:15,399 it's a fake fake? Yeah, I know where the fool gayzing is fake 60 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:24,240 found. I want to see something. I'm gonna show you something. There 61 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:28,680 you go, that's something. That's a beautiful thing. Yeah, that's a 62 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,040 beautiful thing. That's not my thing. What about this. Well, let 63 00:05:33,079 --> 00:05:34,519 me you say, go ahead, try and sell it. You wanna be 64 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:40,240 a dun skin, Give it a shot, dun ski, you call'em me 65 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,120 a dun skin. You know who you're talking to? My friend, Hey, 66 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,160 left come on, have a speecher. You wanna go and embarrass yourself 67 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:51,399 with this thing? Borrows myself, my family, my children. My mother 68 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:55,800 can hold her head up in any neighborhood in this city where she walks down 69 00:05:55,839 --> 00:06:00,000 the block seat in all the five boroughs. I'm known forget about it. 70 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:09,680 I'm known all over the Wold. Anybody ask anybody about Lefty from Mulberry Street, 71 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,199 and you watching up the room stream, you know I didn't mean no 72 00:06:14,319 --> 00:06:16,480 disrespect. It's a misunderstanding, right, all right, sit down man, 73 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:25,639 Well you you're gonna walk out on me. You gonna walk out on me, 74 00:06:26,639 --> 00:06:30,279 I walk out on you. You got a car? I got a 75 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:38,199 car, Well, let's go get your car. Come out they can and 76 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:45,959 now Donnie's lessons in the mafia begin. Okay, when I introduce you, 77 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,199 I'm gonna say this is a friend of mine. That means you're a connected 78 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:54,240 guy. Now if I said it's that this is a friend of ours, 79 00:06:54,639 --> 00:06:57,639 that would mean you are made guy like I peach you? Yeah, friend 80 00:06:57,639 --> 00:07:00,439 of mine, a friend of ours? But what do I call you? 81 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,480 A friend of ours? Or a rip about me? I'll say, hey, 82 00:07:02,519 --> 00:07:08,480 doctor cartage? People, you got a couple of usseles? I got 83 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:10,879 some uh, some things I gotta pick? Yeah? Yeah, what do 84 00:07:10,879 --> 00:07:14,560 you want a hundred? Yeah? What are you doing? What are you 85 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:16,959 doing? Whyse guy don't carry his money in a wallet? Hey? Whyse 86 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,399 guy carry his money in a role like this? Hey? BEANU on the 87 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:28,000 outside like that? Come on that mustache. You gotta get rid of that 88 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:30,879 mustache. It says against the rules and get a pair of pats. Where 89 00:07:30,879 --> 00:07:35,800 you gonna get? You saying a dress like I dress. This is my 90 00:07:35,879 --> 00:07:42,680 factor, more even than my own family. Is that right? I don't 91 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,360 got a family. You don't got a family. Nah, I'm an orphan 92 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:48,839 and I grew up in an orphanage. Ain't the question about you know? 93 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:53,879 Even if you had a family, If this is your family, then this 94 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:58,959 is your family. You know what I'm saying. Yeah. What sets this 95 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:07,759 film aside from other films about the Mafia is how in depth the film allows 96 00:08:07,839 --> 00:08:16,079 these characters to evolve. Each person has these mesmerizing character traits. However, 97 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:22,319 Depth conveys this very well with his performance as Pistone. Our next clip shows 98 00:08:22,399 --> 00:08:28,959 this following an argument with his wife over his assignment. Pistone breaks down and 99 00:08:30,079 --> 00:08:35,360 explains the tough spoty is in. What makes this truly great is you can 100 00:08:35,519 --> 00:08:43,200 actually hear the conflict between Pistone and Brasco, almost as if they are two 101 00:08:43,279 --> 00:08:52,480 different people, even though they are one of the same. Did you ever 102 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:58,000 once ask yourself? How let me make it to my days? I pretend 103 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:05,279 I'm a widdle with medals and scrap books and memories. I pretend you're dad. 104 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:11,639 That's how my life makes sense to me. Just go away, I 105 00:09:11,799 --> 00:09:20,919 stay away. God, Why do you hate me? When I love you 106 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:39,639 so much? I think I hate you, I don't hate you. This 107 00:09:39,799 --> 00:09:48,159 job is eating me alive. I can't breathe anymore. And if I come 108 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:54,799 out this guy left, he dies. They're gonna kill him. Because you 109 00:09:54,919 --> 00:10:00,320 vouched for me, because he stood up for me, I live with every 110 00:10:00,399 --> 00:10:05,960 day. That's the same thing as if I put the bulletiness at myself. 111 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:11,039 You understand, I spent all these years trying to be a good guy. 112 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:22,799 You know what the man in a way. What for I'm not becoming like 113 00:10:22,919 --> 00:10:30,799 that, Maggie, I am. Though it was alluded to in our previous 114 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:37,879 clip that pistone is in monumental danger, that is made painfully obvious in our 115 00:10:37,879 --> 00:10:45,240 final two clips of this review. First, Donnie is confronted by Capo or 116 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:52,120 Captain Sonny Black played by Michael Madsen. He is faced with the possibility of 117 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:56,639 being executed if he does not reveal the plans him and Lefty have for a 118 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:03,960 club in Miami, but he could be disloyal, which is an unforgivable sin 119 00:11:05,519 --> 00:11:11,200 in the mob. Then, in a desperation moment at a Japanese restaurant, 120 00:11:11,919 --> 00:11:16,600 Donnie refuses to remove his boots, the reason being it is where his recording 121 00:11:16,639 --> 00:11:22,480 device is. Desperately, he comes out with a way to not have to 122 00:11:22,519 --> 00:11:31,799 remove his shoes, albeit with horrible consequences for the innocent matre d. We 123 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:41,600 want to know what you're up to me yesterday last night? What were you 124 00:11:41,639 --> 00:11:46,840 doing last night? I'm sinning when yesterday? What time? He said, 125 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:56,240 come here, I'll messing around with me yesterday afternoon? Nine wise left he 126 00:11:56,279 --> 00:11:58,679 got such a heart on a semi back to New York cos Then guys busting 127 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:05,279 your was down there. I wanna know. I want to know what you 128 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:09,960 got going on down here, understands, and you want to know about if 129 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:16,600 you have that skimmed on them out to night. That's right. Look, 130 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:22,200 I don't mean any disrespect. And I know you're a skipper and I'm a 131 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:26,840 nobody, but I can't do that to Lefty. Listen to me. I'll 132 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:31,679 eat your foster for breakfast. You understand me, every four of you. 133 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:39,519 This is life of death. That a fe This is m say so and 134 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:46,639 you tell me I can't do it. So how about if I fackut you 135 00:12:46,759 --> 00:12:52,720 right now? Do what you have to do something. I can't do that 136 00:12:52,799 --> 00:13:05,679 to left And now he gets desperate. That's to say how many this way? 137 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:07,480 Bryan says, it's very injury. I'll see she ran about it in 138 00:13:07,519 --> 00:13:15,080 the parade. Man's very very big. Man to the piece. Take off 139 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:22,240 shoes goes off? What kind of shoes? Fishes? Take off shoes? 140 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:28,720 What are you kidding me? Thank you? I'm afraid it's necessary. He's 141 00:13:28,759 --> 00:13:31,639 a Japanese tradition, is that right? Don't forget about it. I ain't 142 00:13:31,639 --> 00:13:35,120 doing it. I'm afraid he's necessary. Forget it. I ain't taking shoes 143 00:13:35,159 --> 00:13:43,759 off. Hey, Danny, what when in roll? Nick? Who? 144 00:13:45,639 --> 00:13:48,600 Huh? War? What war? Oh? We did? You want to 145 00:13:48,639 --> 00:13:52,480 fight it again? Take off your shoes. I ain't gonna do it. 146 00:13:54,039 --> 00:13:56,759 Take your shoes off, and take my shoes off? What I want to 147 00:13:56,759 --> 00:14:00,360 eat sometime tonight? And take off your shoes. I'm gonna check up off 148 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,440 your fep, sunner. What do you want me to do? Don't want 149 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:07,559 me to take orders more. I had to grow up in an orphanage because 150 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:11,279 my own man was killed down there in Okinot. All right, don't want 151 00:14:11,279 --> 00:14:15,360 to take my shoes off of this? No, I ain't doing me. 152 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,399 I'm afraid it is necessary. Listen. Uh well, friend's not gonna take 153 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:30,000 off your shoes there, mister Moto, I'm afraid is necessary either or the 154 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,000 rest of us. Okay, So why don't you just give us a table 155 00:14:31,039 --> 00:14:48,919 before I smack you. You must take off your shoes. I shot down, 156 00:14:50,759 --> 00:15:01,080 let's get it. What makes this film so compelling is the fact that 157 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:09,000 it has been confirmed by former members of the Banano crime family to be mostly 158 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:16,679 accurate. This undercover FBI agent was within one murder of becoming a member of 159 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:24,360 the mafia. The work of Pistone led to over two hundred indictments and over 160 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:31,679 one hundred convictions of mafia members. It led to the Banano family being removed 161 00:15:31,759 --> 00:15:39,000 from the Feigned Commission and becoming outcasts in the American Mafia. To this day, 162 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:46,200 Joe de Pistone is viewed is one of the top authorities on the Mafia. 163 00:15:46,279 --> 00:15:52,080 He has since written three books after his best selling book Donnie Brasco that 164 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:58,600 this film is based off of. But this film has to be the ultimate 165 00:15:58,679 --> 00:16:07,399 testimony to his sacrifice and his hard work. What makes this film truly special 166 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:11,600 and stand in a class of its own is it's a true look at this 167 00:16:11,759 --> 00:16:18,679 secret society. It's not glossy and glamorous like Casino, Goodfellas, or even 168 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:25,960 The Godfather. It is also not as gritty and raw as meanstreets. What 169 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:32,240 it is and what makes it timeless, is it is unflinching and hoorizing. 170 00:16:32,679 --> 00:16:37,120 It provides the deepest look into the mob dune by a film. Couple that 171 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:44,519 with the brilliant performances across the board and a gripping story, it truly makes 172 00:16:44,639 --> 00:16:51,000 for one amazing and captivating film. I hope you will join me next week. 173 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:56,440 When in observance of the recently passed on director William Friedkin, we will 174 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:03,359 look at his seminole classic film The French Connection for w M n H. 175 00:17:03,839 --> 00:18:32,480 In Matt Connerton Unleashed. This has been a classic film review with Art Pilcher