The unlikely friendship between an aging mobster and the cop that's trying to bring down the family.
And in filling those roles, Al Pacino and Johnny Depp are superb; the whole fanciful (yet true) story rides on their chemistry, and they deliver, no question. It's a film that (believe it or not) asks you to sympathize with the mob; which isn't really all that hard with how callous the FBI is.
I loved seeing Pacino as the devoted foot soldier, seemingly always overlooked for promotion; he makes it easy to root for this guy. Equal praise for Depp, whose concern for his elder is evident. This is a trope that's been done before (the cop that loses his way) but he infuses this role with compassion, and it makes the mob material that much more entertaining (also suspenseful). Case in point, his trying to explain "fuhgeddaboudit" to his fellow agents. It's a nice scene, unusually heartwarming, and it was a high point for me.
I guess I didn't expect to be so moved by this film (especially the quietly devastating ending), but as mob movies go, this is top-tier, most definitely.
And in filling those roles, Al Pacino and Johnny Depp are superb; the whole fanciful (yet true) story rides on their chemistry, and they deliver, no question. It's a film that (believe it or not) asks you to sympathize with the mob; which isn't really all that hard with how callous the FBI is.
I loved seeing Pacino as the devoted foot soldier, seemingly always overlooked for promotion; he makes it easy to root for this guy. Equal praise for Depp, whose concern for his elder is evident. This is a trope that's been done before (the cop that loses his way) but he infuses this role with compassion, and it makes the mob material that much more entertaining (also suspenseful). Case in point, his trying to explain "fuhgeddaboudit" to his fellow agents. It's a nice scene, unusually heartwarming, and it was a high point for me.
I guess I didn't expect to be so moved by this film (especially the quietly devastating ending), but as mob movies go, this is top-tier, most definitely.