A Bronx Tale

I have seen this movie over & over like many of the people who have reviewed it. It's true that this is loosely based on the life of Chazz (C) Palmenteri who wrote the screenplay. Word is that when he was looking to make the play into a movie, he had only one condition, that he play the part of Sonny. He was rejected several times until he found Robert DeNiro & Tribeca productions. What luck for all of us too! Chazz was born to play the role of Sonny & how refreshing to see DeNiro as the humble and hardworking father figure instead of the gangster that he has so often played.

This movie has heart & a story that is actually appropriate for young adults. Despite the language & moderate violence (such as the bar scene) there isn't anything graphic (certainly not on the scale of Braveheart or Saving Private Ryan!) and no nudity, just a good story. One of the gems is that nothing is sadder than wasted talent. Thank God that Mr. Palmenteri didn't waste his and shared this wonderful story with all of us. Unforgettable movie, a definite 10 out of 10!

A father(Robert De Niro) who stresses the importance of honest work, teaches his son values in 1960's New York as a distrusting mobster(Chazz Palminteri) also shares his perspective and becomes some what of a father figure to the kid. Faced with racism and a crime-based community, learns his own morals from a strand of tough events.

This is not the first movie I have ever seen to make the gangster out to be a some what nice guy. But this is the first one I have seen to actually make him somewhat of a saint. Sonny(Palminteri) is the example of a split personality with a criminal. He is very tough with a community that he loves and basically runs but is also very protective and guiding to many people. I found this to be quite interesting in this type of genre.

Robert De Niro's character on the other hand, is very bold. He plays the father who is concerned with his son's well being and is just your normal flat character. He was unimpressive, but effective for a movie that was by no means perfect in the first place.

The idea of this movie was what made it so intriguing. At two hours long, it consists of a large epic story of a young man trying to make it through a part of New York. Some important events were perhaps too close together but it was still entertaining and quite moving. Overall, A Bronx Tale is a fine experience of cinema with a wonderful story.

I highly recommend this movie.

A Bronx Tale tells the story of a boy growing up in the Bronx that must face tough decisions between a mobster and his father the working man. Robert De Niro, in his directorial debut, shows an inside view of the mafia in the neighborhood and how an individual child idolize them just like the way the film GoodFellas showed how a kid wanted to be a gangster.

Chazz Palminteri plays Sonny, the kingpin in the neighborhood, who is not only a feared man in the Bronx but also kills a man in the streets and Lorenzo's (Robert De Niro) son, Colgero, is the witness. Lorenzo's son doesn't rat on anybody and Sonny considers the kid an okay person where he'll take care of him like a father would for his son if he does certain favors that would make Lorenzo uncomfortable.

Colgero sees different point of views from his two "fathers" where Lorenzo, his real father, is an honest bus driver who likes what he does in making a living prior to standing by in his codes of morality while Colgero sees Sonny as something of a hero since he's not a sucker like those who have to wait for bum paychecks where all he does is make a living by either killing or stealing where having power makes a man.

As Colgero grows into a teenager in the 60's, both his real father (Lorenzo) and his idol (Sonny) want the best for him with different standards and don't want to see him in the wrong direction. At the same time Colgero falls in love with a woman, a young black girl, at his high school where interracial relationships is consider a no-no to both the black community and the Italian neighborhood. It doesn't bother Colgero one bit while asking both his father and idol for advice where he's growing up to be a man.

"A Bronx Tale" is not only a life lesson movie, but a coming of age story where not only does Colgero witness everything in front of him from death to prejudice but it's about how two men from separate worlds want the best for this kid.

The amount of brillance that Robert DeNiro puts into all of his performances is unmatched and he proves that he can also be a fine director by debuting in that field as well as starring in this 1993 Savoy release. DeNiro is top billed but you actually don't see very much of him. The film's major focus is that of a little boy named Calogero and his idol, a mobster named Sonny (Chazz Palminteri). Sonny owns the Bronx neighborhood where Calogero and his honest bus driver father Lorenzo (DeNiro) live. He also basically owns them. Sonny's heavy amount of power and wealth make him an intimidating force throughout the neighborhood but his mob gang make their fear of him look like complete respect. Sonny knows that he's feared and it just encourages him to keep trying to rise in power. Calogero grows up watching Sonny cavorting on the street with his gang and secretly imitating him much to Lorenzo's chagrin. Lorenzo wants the best life possible for Calogero and doesn't want to see him fall into a life of crime or looking up to crime figures. Calogero doesn't listen because he idolizes Sonny too much and his chance to get Sonny's attention comes when he witnesses Sonny fatally shoot a man. When Calogero is questioned by police, his loyalty comes before his conscience and he doesn't rat out Sonny's guilt in the shooting. Sonny strongly appreciates this and so he gives Calogero an easy money job serving drinks for his high rollers gang. As several years pass and Calogero nears the end of his childhood, he must learn to make the ultimate choice between his two "father" figures. Just like in "Goodfellas", a classic soundtrack and excellent period detail is evident here and this film stands out as yet another classic in the modern day organized crime film genre. Palminteri makes a strong film starring debut and DeNiro makes the very most of his rather small seeming part. Joe Pesci also appears briefly as another respected crime boss. An instant "new classic."

Oh, what a wonderfully small and intricate film this is! How I love and cherish the world I am pulled into every time I see this film. Robert De Niro's directorial debut proves strong and lively, evidenced by how he stuck to a topic close to home; a young, impressionable Italian kid growing up little Italy in the late 60's. As the naive protagonist Calogero, or 'C' as he is nicknamed, Lillo Brancato gives a great performance as a young man torn between the working-class honesty displayed by his strict father and the ruthless world of organized crime demonstrated by the neighborhood crime boss Sonny (Chazz Palminteri adapted his own play and cast himself as a burly, laid back, world weary know-it-all).

One key element that snags you in is the narration. Like equally personal films of its stature (Scorsese's gangster trilogy, "Taxi Driver," "Election," "Bringing Out The Dead", "SLC Punk!"), the voice-over guiding brings you in even further into the already detailed landscape and story presented. I don't really consider this a mafia movie, it's much more of a coming-of-age tale. However, the background De Niro provides is so intimate and thorough that you wish for another film chronicling the life of Sonny.

I have to admit that, for a debut, De Niro's judicious use of music seemed to rival that of Spike or Scorsese in turns of effectiveness. First of all, De Niro kept a much more grass roots approach, sticking to doo-wop, soul, rock, "mobster pop" (Dean or Frank) and a little jazz. Whereas Scorsese will use anything at his disposal ("Casino" had two Devo tunes in it), De Niro really seems to search for what really makes the scene. My favorite is the scoring of a street fight scene to "Nights In White Satin"... De Niro must of knew before we did it was all in the violins. De Niro said he knew this type of story had been done before and didn't want to repeat anything, so he viewed Scorsese's mobster trilogy to see what already had been done. It's obvious he paid attention.

Even De Niro himself knows a little Italy gangster film is not complete with at least a surprise-ending cameo from you know who...