A Bronx Tale (1993)

There's a terrific song by the Moonglows called The Ten Commandments Of Love which is part of this movie's soundtrack, and which, for me, really captures what this story is about.It's a story about the friendship which develops between a young boy named Calogero Anello (Lilo Brancato), and local mob boss Sonny LoSpecchio (Chaz Palminteri) who owns the bar right next door to Calogero's tenement building.Set in the Bronx in the turbulent 1960's, it is also the story of the boy's father Lorenzo (Robert DeNiro), an honest, and hardworking man who's a bus driver for the city, and does not like his son getting mixed up with criminal elements.Thrown into the mix, and adding to the drama, is Calogero's attraction to a classy black girl named Jane Williams (Taral Hicks), at a time when racial tensions between blacks and whites was building to an explosion.The romance is like the cherry on the cake for me, it being so well done, so heartening, and inspiring (featuring a scene with another terrific song: I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingoes).Robert DeNiro does an incredible job directing this movie. It's a sparkling diamond of American film making.A great portrayal of love, loyalty, friendship, ties between father and son, and the seemingly trivial decisions that can alter our entire lives.Chaz Palminteri's script is perfect (in fact, I can't think of a single thing that could've been added or changed, it's really impressive).Joe Pesci also makes an appearance as Sonny's friend Carmine, and his presence (along with Lorenzo finally respecting Sonny), really makes the ending great.It should've won some Academy Awards. I can't believe it didn't. Rarely has there been such an excellent movie. Originally, Review #106Posted On: December 17, 2010

This movie was a really good movie in my opinion. This movie was able to represent the constant feud between whites and black that still exist today. Additionally this movie illustrated how hard teenage romance is and how much effort that has to be put into it to make it work. One thing I think this movie could have worked was making the ending better. Another thing this movie did well was allowing its audience to be able to empathize with several of the characters and i think that a good thing because while watching the movie you tend to relate to the difficulties and experience of others.

A Bronx Tale (1993) **** (out of 4)Magnificent story about a young man (Lillo Brancato) growing up in the Bronx and being confused about life as most kids are. Growing up he had his hard working father (Robert DeNiro) preaching about keeping a clean life while he also got advice from a wise guy (Chazz Palminteri) from the neighborhood.A BRONX TALE is without question one of the greatest films of the decade and I think it also contains one of the greatest screenplays ever written. I remember when the film was released it got a lot of very good reviews but several people claimed that it didn't stack up to the type of films that influenced it. Of course, with DeNiro directing it a lot of people compared it to the work of Scorsese and I think that's unfair because this wasn't meant to be a Scorsese film. There are obviously influences here but I think this film holds up very well on its own and its message of morals and consequences is something very few films has mastered like this one.I will openly say that this is a film that I really love because the set-up is just so perfect. You've got a middle class father who has a set of morals that has him hating the gangster who has attached himself to his son. You've got a gangster with a different set of morals who believes that working people are stiffs. Both men have their own set of rules and they both love this young kid and want to see him succeed even if their advice often isn't something the other agrees with. The screenplay by Palminteri is perfect in so many ways as it really is a great coming-of-age story and it also has some terrific life lessons. I was thirteen when I first watched this movie and its message hit me then and it hits me even harder today now that I have my own kids.The setting is really remarkable and I think DeNiro did a terrific job at capturing an era that he grew up in. Obviously he knew a lot about it and it translates perfectly to the screen. The music selections, something I'm going to guess was inspired by Scorsese, are also wonderfully done. The film has a very good flow to it and I thought the director did an excellent job at keeping the film moving. He certainly helps bring these characters off the page and we're given some very memorable and powerful scenes. One of the strongest is the first time the father confronts the gangster.The performances are certainly terrific with Palminteri stealing the film as the wise gangster. I really thought the actor did a remarkable job with the part and especially the laid back approach. Brancato is also extremely good as the older kid and Francis Capra also deserves credit playing the younger kid. Then there's DeNiro who is usually playing the gangsters but here he's given the role of the father. It's pretty much a supporting part but the actor turns in another terrific performance and there's a lot of heart in the part.A BRONX TALE works on so many levels and it's really too bad so many people has overlooked the film. Those who know the film love it and I think if more people would give it a shot even more would love it.

The true value in this must see coming of age story is found in its gritty, authentic story line, cinematography and acting done by sensational casting. Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri reach deep down and bring to life the core essence of that internal struggle of direction faced by many youth when told to just do the right thing but never told what the right thing is.Growing up poor with parents that make an honest living, Colagero (C) tries to understand his father's life lessons but can't contain his ever increasing curiosity and reverence for the local thugs. After C witnesses a crime and responses to it the way the streets taught him, the neighborhood enforcer (Sunny) takes Colagero under his wing to teach a few life lessons of his own. The methods of each role model may be different but the message is the same.. There are consequences for compromising on integrity and values.For C this fact is something that isn't easily understood without living it first hand. He struggles to balance the only 2 futures presented a neighborhood boy growing up in the Bronx which are a safe mundane pseudo existence or an exciting fast paced lifestyle of money, power and respect.