Reviews

Another reviewer has said it is Pacino's best. I can understand why. Here he turns down the volume and we can hear every note. Its a beautiful, subtle performance.

I feel sorry for Depp. In any other film with any other actor it would've been his film but unfortunately Pacino steals every scene his in.

Lefty (Pacino) is a small-time hood forever being passed over. Donnie Brasco (Depp) is the undercover FBI agent who Pacino befriends and vouches for to his ultimate doom. Every scene with Pacino in should be watched by every aspiring film actor (and most established ones!) to see how its done. If this sounds like a love-letter to Pacino at the expense of the rest of the cast well it is. And the supporting cast are perfect as well - Heche as Brasco's suffering wife, Madsen as Pacino's boss, Bruno Kirby as one of the gang. I could list every one.

Also credit must go to the director Mike Newell for making me forgive him for Hugh Grant's career with this film.

Some people say this is too similar to "Goodfellas" and indeed the release was delayed and the casting changed due to that Scorsese classic. But I say "Donnie Brasco" is the anti-Goodfellas - the wiseguys here are a bit too low rent/nickel and dime. And Pacino gives us the anti-Godfather. And when films are this good there's room for both in this world.

It wasn't even my idea. It was a female friends idea. I hadn't read any reviews. So i went and i watched it. And i thought it was quite a pleasant, well-made film. I didn't think it was the best film ever made. It was obviously different to your average Hollywood Blockbuster (the same year's Pulp Fiction it is not!)- slow paced with a director happy not to rush things.

And here we are nearly 20 years later and it's a lot of people's favourite film. It's not my favourite film but it's grown on me and i've been forced to reappraise it. And now i think it's a lovely film, lovingly made and when you've had enough of aliens blowing up The Whitehouse, scantily clad students dancing and wise-cracking cops shooting everything insight this is the antidote and really there should be more films made like this. It puts the "good" in "feel good movie".

It's a testament to the talent of Callow & Blethyn that this is not unwatchable but in fact still bloody funny and charming.

All the clichés of early 80's sitcoms in abundance - awful lighting, wooden sets, even more wooden acting from the other characters and extras, past-it's-sell-by-date canned laughter.

I only have memories of this as a child when it was originally aired. I can see why C4 haven't showed it again as it's just too dated.

But if you do have a spare few quid get the DVD set and marvel at Blethyn's hilarious, sweet and barely repressed sexual librarian and Callow's bumptious but likable bad luck lightning-rod.

Mention must go to the writers - incredibly convoluted and humorous plots. Maintains the great Brtitish tradition of the farce.

Most of the reviews here are good but seem to be from fans of animated shows (Family Guy, Southpark etc). I'm not. But this show is the freshest, funniest and near (past?) the knuckle show i've seen in years. Sexist and sexy, racist and racey, sizist and er well you know, ageist (pretty much every "ist" going) but gets away with it due to the quality of the writing and delivery and i guess because is animated.

I've never felt sexual feelings for a cartoon character before (excluding Smurfette obviously) but Lana (Aisha Tyler) does it for me every time. It IS literally LOL funny. And when was the last time you could say that about a show animated or live action?

Do yourself a favour. By the DVD now. Then buy copies of the DVD for all your friends. Because if you don't and they discover Archer later when it becomes a worldwide phenomenon and that you knew about it and you didn't tell them....well they will KICK YOUR ASS! and get *TOTALLY NINJA!!!

* Archer catch phrases....

Yep - that bad. And here's why...

1.Only average effects. Cutting-edge cgi might have made it an OK film as with Transformers. (Please don't tell me otherwise and/or get me started on Michael Bay!)

2.Not a particularly clever plot. No twists. Awful clichéd feel which seemed to remind me of lots of other films. A bit of Matrix. A taste of MadMax. Even Contact (ooh which form shall we use to talk to you) Surely a Terminator film sets its own agenda as with certainly the first 2 and probably even the 3rd.

3.Below par acting. Love Michael Ironside in the Top Gun and Starship Troopers but boy is he a one trick pony. You may say he didn't have a large part but it was symptomatic of the casting as a whole. Lazy. Mr Bale showed more passion when he flipped out in rehearsals. I get that he has the fate of the world hanging on his shoulders but you know - chill (?). No-one else stood out for me.

Overall feel for me was of a bad 80's sci-fi action flick but with slightly better effects. I was even open-minded about Charlies Angels boy directing before I'd seen it even though everybody else had written him off. Nothing personal against the guy but I hope he doesn't get to direct a big-budget actioner ever again.

I can't find one redeeming feature. I won't even watch it again when it comes out on cable for free. And that's unusual. I guess this is the final nail in the coffin for the series - shame.

How can stuff like this still be made? Didn't Seinfeld, Arrested Development, The Office etc etc kill this old-fashioned unfunny crap off? Apparently not...

I'm actually quite a fan of Michael Rappaport and have enjoyed his various cameos and supporting roles (Copland , Friends) but in this he sucks but anyone would struggle with this script.

My wife enjoys it. But she's Brazilian. And if you've ever seen a typical Brazilian sit-com you would understand why she would think this so funny.

Just to demonstrate how predictable the show is and to prove a point with her I guessed what the next 3 or 4 plot developments/lines would be while watching it for a while and was correct almost word for word! I felt very smug. This annoyed my wife as she hates it when I do that (can understand why but I felt good so screw-it!)

The biggest compliment I can give this film is that it feels like a real-time documentary. And that should be reason enough to see it.

I - like many others - didn't want to see this film at first. Not because I felt the film-makers would be profiting from disaster but I feared that it would be another chest-beating, Hollywood-ised version of events.

It is not.

I am British so have more distance from the events of that day in September 2001 and can judge the film as just that - a film - and not a eulogy for the (very) ordinary people on that plane.

Whatever your politics and your views as to whether the U.S. "had it coming" you still cannot fail to be moved by this film. Despite my objectivity I have never been more emotionally involved in a film. Conversely it is the films very "naturalness" that gets you so involved.

As others have mentioned there is no thunderous music score or hammy patriotic speeches. The conversations and actions seem as natural as possible - although not having been there or any similar life-threatening situation you can only guess at the realism. But it seems to have rung universally true with most of the people who have seen the film judging from this website.

Greengrass is now one of my favourite directors after this and The Bourne Supremacy. I aim to see his film of the "Bloody Sunday" incident that occurred in Ireland in the 1970's as soon as possible.

I want all film re-enactments of actual events to be like this.

What an odd film. Very dated feel. Could almost be older than the 70's - maybe "Ealing" period. It has a naive charm and is mildly amusing in parts. I think the dated feel is that it was not an English production and was perhaps never intended for release in the U.K.?

I could see how it would be popular in Brasil itself and was liked there judging from some of the other IMDb reviewers. I only watched it because of my love for all things Brazilian - wife, food, music etc etc and hence the 7 out of 10 as opposed to the 3 I should have given it.

I don't know if I would be able to recommend this to anyone else. Maybe samba-lovers? Hugh Laurie obsessives? 40-something men going through a mid-life crisis???

The better recent action films up the "realism" and grittiness - ala the Bourne films. This is one of those films. I'm a fan of all 3 Missions and this is the best yet for me - others will disagree. The action film genre was dying on its arse until the Bourne films (in my humble opinion) and now this latest outing for Ethan Hunt.

So this mission is more of the same and as the next in a series has had the volume turned up a notch. But not in a Speed-2-this-film-is-a-2-hour-headache-way but in a good way. I was so absorbed into this film that I didn't even see the obvious plot twist coming (maybe I'm getting old!)

Highlight for me was Mr Hoffman. Who would have thought that lovable stumble-bum Phillip Seymour could be such a convincing nasty-piece-of-work. More please. Maybe he could become the new Alan Rickman?(!)

Never been a fan of "Lost" but this film makes we want to give it another try. Am waiting for Mr Abrahms' next film with anticipation and Tom can keep bad-mouthing Brooke Shields and make a fool of himself on Oprah as much as he wants aslong as he keeps producing output of this quality.

It's rare that I feel the best actress Oscar is "won" by the most deserving recipient but Charlize' performance unquestionably was the best of that year and arguably any other year.

For even an established character actress to have pulled this off would be one thing but for a Hollywood pretty-girl to have done so beggars belief.

Where did Charlize get it from? I'm assuming that her personal history was a factor - I believe her mother killed her violent father in self-defence - correct me if i'm wrong - so she perhaps knows something of the life of Aileen Wournos.

If you haven't already I suggest that you see Nick Broomfields two documentaries on the same subject to see how perfectly Theron nailed Aileens aggressive yet vulnerable persona and for further background.

It's an incredibly sad film as well and though the film doesn't spread it on too thick how Aileens loveless childhood created the "monster" you can't help but agree in this case that Aileen was created and not born "evil" and hopefully feel as i did immense sympathy for her and the trail of almost accidental death that for a few brief moments allowed Aileen to avenge the despicable treatment in her life but then led to her own betrayal by her girlfriend and ultimate demise.

Once again - an astonishing display by Theron.

I hope Mister Singer didn't p*ss-off to Superman Returns just for a few more zero's on the cheque. I greatly enjoyed X1 and X2 and put that mainly down to director Singer treating the source material with respect and trying to make a good film and not just a good super-hero film (but not too seriously - I'm talking to you Ang Lee!) So when I heard he'd gone up, up and away and left Mr Brett "Rush Hour" Ratner in charge I was filled with foreboding and having seen the film I was right to be so forebode filled (?).

It's like a poor photo-copy has been made of the first 2 films. There's not the same attention to detail, the same love for the film making process. But what did we expect. Having read an interview with Ratner he sounds like an absolute star-f***ing idiot that typifies all thats wrong with La-La land. One of the reasons given for him directing was that he doesn't have a distinctive style of his own so wouldn't jar too much with Singer's style. Freakin' great - so we get his washed-out lite version instead.

At the risk of contradicting myself it's not that bad a film...just not good - especially in comparison with 1 and 2. Maybe they should have gone another way and - "Alien" style - got a director with a strong personal style...we'll never know.

Goodness me this film seemed to upset a lot of people who seemed to take it just a little bit too seriously. Seems a very good end to the trilogy (?) to me.

The added humour gives it enough of it's own identity to let it stand alone. It's a very good sci-fi action film.

Yes - it's not as good or ground-breaking as T1 and T2 but then how could it be? T2 for me was - as I'm sure it was for many others - one of the definitive sci-fi films of the Nineties.

And yes there are plot-holes and discrepancies you could drive a crane through but I think you geeky chaps should worry less about those and get out and play with some real people a bit more.

Ignore the knockers - enjoy the mayhem, sexy killer-robo-babe and Arnies' one liners and make your own mind up.

Enjoyed this film mainly because I did not know where it was going to go from one scene to the next. I may have fell into the traps that the director/writer set but it was an enjoyable fall and I don't begrudge him one little bit. I love that Brosnan seems to have matured as an actor since Bond as he is prepared to play against type and take risks.

Almost makes me regret Pierce not doing this kind of work earlier in his career (Remmington Steel? don't think so..) such is the performance he gives here and in other recent films. Maybe he knows this as well and is making up for lost time? Or doesn't need the money so doesn't have to take any old sh*t that he's offered? Even when he is not playing against type so much (Thomas Crown Affair) he is still eminently watchable.

Only slight gripe with the film is that perhaps the Director was trying a teeny-weeny bit too hard to be kooky in a "tarantinoesque" way but again this didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the film. Greg Kinnear is delightful in that mild-mannered middle-class thing he does so well. Hope Davis equally good. Watch it.

How the hell did this win any Oscars? Smacks of political correctness to me. A film that thinks it's far more important than it is. Preposterous plot, every clichéd ethnic stereotype thrown together making an awful mix, horrible and obvious "redemptive" ending. Hammers home its point with a particularly large and unwieldy mallet. Completely unlikable characters. Steer well clear of this pile-up. Am loathe to even discuss the plot but IMDb are forcing me to take up more space for my comments - would rather someone slapped me repeatedly with a wet fish. OK - will try and think of one plus point...Thandie Newton. It's the best I can do.

Maybe it's an English thing but I don't get Will Farrell - he just seems to be the new Chevy Chase (and I never found him funny).

What is it with him and the "non-joke"? Saw this film because had such good word of mouth and turned it off after 30 mins. Also got similarly burnt with "Old school".

Don't get me wrong - I love a silly Yank comedy - i'm talking "Office Space", "Deuce Bigalow", "Something about Mary", "Mystery Men" etc etc. Must be just Farrell. So if you liked "Old School" you'll love this...probably.

Oh God - apparently I haven't written enough to submit. I wil add a few blank lines. Maybe now I have - really really can't find enough to say about Farrell. I suppose this comment being submitted will depend on whether the IMDb reviewer dude is a fan. I like to think he/she will have more discerning taste - let's see shall we...

Don't get me wrong - "City of God" is a cracking film. This film is for when you want a rest from the wave of ultra violent films that have streamed out of Brasil in the last few years. This is a lovely,light romantic comedy with elements of farce and fantasy. It was the directors intention to show a picture postcard version of Rio. And he succeeds wonderfully. This film probably resonates more with me than most because I met and married a Brazilian in Rio and we shared a first kiss in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel (were you spying on us Mister Barreto?) And I would just like to point out that I am not middle-aged and still know how to have a good time so ignore all the comments saying this film is for the oldies - since when did romance have an age limit?!

How does Brucey do it? For every Pulp Fiction there is a Color of Night. For every Sixth Sense there is a film like this. As is my way I wont really get into the plot.Read other reviews for that. I am halfway through watching this film as i write this. I am watching it at work on a night shift. I have different standards of films - good,bad and night shift. Nightshift films will just about kill 2 hours of your time at 3am. This one doesn't even do that or else I wouldn't be writing this. Terrible awful clichéd acting and plot. Dialogue so bad seems the person who wrote it had English as a second language. Kind of straight to video tosh that Dolph Lundgren knocks out.

I am assuming I am commenting on this film for those who have not seen this film and for those people I pity you. Its a crime thriller. Won't describe the story as its not particularly original and not the best thing about this film. You've got Pacino and Deniro on screen in a film for the first and possibly last time which should be recommendation enough. You've also got director Michael Mann at the top of his game. An awesome supporting cast firing on all cylinders. Arguably the best "shoot-out" in any film - ever. What more do you want???

It's a long film but there is not one wasted scene in it. Even the incidental story lines - for example, the recently paroled ex-cell mate of Deniro whose first job is in a "grill" working for a nasty, exploitative boss and then ends-up as a stand-in getaway driver for Deniros crew. It just adds weight to the whole film. All the domestic dramas of the good-guys and the bad-guys that you wouldn't get in the typical cops and robbers film are shown in loving detail and nothing is rushed. Just makes it a more satisfying and involving film.

Mann who started his career on Miami Vice almost seems to be taking a trip back to the eighties with the soundtrack and styling of the film - almost but not quite.

If you still don't want to see the film after this then what the hell's wrong with you?! Sit back and enjoy. Also - no. 247 in the top 250?? Whats up with that???