[UWSL]One of the best scenes in the movie, which makes several points in just about two minutes without feeling overloaded:[/UWSL][UWSL] [/UWSL]
[UWSL] [/UWSL][UWSL]1. It exemplifies the lethal danger Donny / Pistone faces every minute of every day as a situation of ordinary daily routine - walking into a restaurant - suddenly threatens to expose him[/UWSL][UWSL] [/UWSL]
[UWSL]2. It shows the mobsters for what they are - men of unscrupulous, extreme violence who lay down a massive beating on a person who just did his job (although in a somewhat annoying way). If that's how they react in an actually harmless situation, there can be no doubt what would happen if they found out about Donny, which also further underlines the threat to his life.[/UWSL][UWSL] [/UWSL]
[UWSL]3. Donny is no longer a straight arrow FBI agent. Because of him, and only of him, an innocent civilian suffers great harm. He has to get his hands dirty in order to achieve the greater good - and protect himself.[/UWSL][UWSL] [/UWSL]
[UWSL]4. Donny may have been forced to throw a punch after being punched himself to uphold his cover. But then he looses temper and kicks the civilian repeatedly. He is not just playing a role; he is changing and becoming a gangster himself. And he seems to realize it in this scene.[/UWSL]
[UWSL] [/UWSL][UWSL]5. While the violence itself may be appaling, it's also impressive how the mobsters immediately stand up for Donny once they feel he is not just being a jerk. We understand Donny might develop more ond more sympathies for the gangsters, causing an inner conflict given his mission.[/UWSL]
