'Donnie Brasco' (1997)

"Forget about it!"... or don't, as this week we're heading back to that fruitful pasture for gangster movies - New York's Five Families, AKA the mafia. With syndicated crime seemingly taking over the Big Apple by the end of the 1970s it was decided a sea change was necessary, leading to the FBI's infiltration of the Bonnano crime family and the mythologisation of one of New York's finest, Donnie Brasco. Whilst Don The Jeweller's real name (Joseph D. Pistone) was no secret once the story broke, there's no doubt that his pseudoynm has become known the world over for his daring exploits during his 6 years undercover. But as with all movies based on memoirs that are written several years after the fact and can only be confirmed by the writer themselves, does 1997's movie adaptation really get to the heart of the matter? Was "Lefty" Ruggiero a real person? Was Donnie's marriage pushed to the brink? And did they really have their own lion?! Join us to find out on That's Not How It Went Down!

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