After this important role on a big production Donnie appeared in a couple of films of little budget: Bodycount and Black Circle Boys both from 1997, followed of the telefilm Pelham One, Two, Three in 98.That year Donnie proposed himself one of his biggest projects until the moment; the movie Southie in the one he had practically responsibility of everything except of directing. The film tells the history of Danny (Donnie´s role), a boy that lives in one of the worst districts from Boston. He tries to go away and move away his family out of the problems. In the movie also one of his siblings (Robert Wahlberg) has a role. The sound track includes a song of Joe McIntyre and another of the old group of his brother, Mark Wahlberg; who is now a famous actor (main actor of Three Kings, Fear, The perfect storm and the Planet of the apes). The film didn´t have so much money, but it deserved the commendations from the criticize and several awars from independent cinema like: best independient feature at Seatle International Film Festival.

Donnie seems specialist in rotating movies on topics that concern him enough; it’s for sure that his role in Southie has enough to do with Donnie’s real life, Never too big (Butter), shoted the same year that Southie, was about the music world, another thing that touches him quite close. The following year (1999) he filmed another telefilm: Purgatory. After this project Donnie had his best appearance ‘till the moment: his short rule in The Sixth Sense, nominated for six Oscar. He surprised all his fans and the criticism. Even the director of the movie M. Night Shyamalan loved Donnie’s acting. The role of Donnie is Vincent Gray. He just appears five minutes in the movie, but it’s a very important character.

He also filmed a serie for television called Band of Brothers. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are the producers. It’s on the same line that Saving Private Ryan and there are other famous actors like David Swimmer or Joaquim Phoenix. It’s been a big success in USA. It even won a Golden Globe Award for Best TV mini-serie.

He also started to film Big Apple in NY for HBO TV channel. But it didn’t have much succes and it’s ended at the moment.

After that he filmed Trigger Man in Toronto. And after that he filmed Dreamcatcher with Morgan Freeman and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. It is a film based upon a book of Stephen King. Donnie’s character is a men with mental power.

His last work on TV was a serie for NBC called Boomtown where Donie had a main character. It lasted two seasons and then dissapeared.

Donnie was at the 2005 Sundace Film Festival to present his film "Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School". He was there with the rest of the cast including Marisa Tomei.

"Annapolis" had pretty succes in USA but can't say the same in Europe. Produced by the factory Disney the movie tells the story of a boy who is enlisted in the sea-coast and usesthe boxing to go out forward. Led by James Franco (Spiderman), Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson. Donnie's role is like always small but of great relevancy for the course of the plot since he is the one who gives an opportunity to the protagonist when nobody believes in him.

Probably the movie that more has thrown Donnie has been Saw's saga. The detective Eric Mathews has great protagonism in the second part and returns to appear in the third and fourth one.

He continues reconciling the small screen with cinema in some different projects. For television he did Runaway. A series of suspense realized for the new TV channel CW. Donnie's character was accused of a crime that. He wasn't guilty but he had to runaway with all his family to protect it. The hard struggle for the hearings extracted this project of the gridiron in a few weeks. Many better reception had the miniseries produced on the occasion of the anniversary of 11S titled " The Path to 9-11 ".

In cinema he released the terrifying Dead Silence where he was a detective who was trying to decipher the crimes happened in a small village and were related to the legend of a woman and her marionettes. Dead Silence wasn't very successful in America either Europe. Better luck had the TV film Kings of South Beach. Based on a true story Donnie interprets a concealed policeman who unmasks the whole plot of drugs and corruption in Miami. It is now available in DVD.

But the major success of last years for Donnie was coming to him with the miniseries The Kill Point. His character is the negociator who tries to set free a group of peopple kidnapped inside a bank. Opposite to him is John Leguizamo like the leader of the armed bandits. This interpretive duel led the series to the highest levels of hearings and the advertising fences of the whole NYC.

One of the projects that Donnie feels more proud of it is the film where he participated along with the two most legendary live actors in history: Robert DeNiro and Al Paccino. This is Righteous Kill where once again he takes the side of the law.

What Does not Kill You, starring Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffallo was Donnie's chance to participate in the script of a story of two friends who live in South Boston. Its introduction in the production of television series came with the unprecedented Bunker Hill once again set in Boston, where Donnie also plays a police detective.