A Bronx Tale was Robert De Niro’s directorial debut in 1993. After years of legendary collaborations with Martin Scorsese he finally decided to direct a film and what a very fine film it is. The film came out during a strange time it was post-Goodfellas but sort of pre-Tarantino which is a time when were a quite a few interesting crime films like King of New York, Millers’ Crossing and Menace II Society. A Bronx Tale takes a much old fashion approach.
The story is set in the early 60s and concerns young Italian boy Calogero Anello (Francis Capra) who witnesses a murder committed by local mob boss Sonny (Chazz Palminteri). Sonny eventually offers him a job throwing dice and working in his bar but his father Lorenzo eventually finds out. He returns the money to Sonny and forbids him working for him again.
The film fast-forwards 8 years and Calogero (Now played by Lillo Brancato Jr.) has been working for Sonny without his father’s knowledge. Calogero becomes a member of local gang much to the disapproval of his father. Calogero meets an African-American girl Jade (Taral Hicks) and they decide to go out despite the racism in the area between Italian and African-Americans. The rest of the film deals with the race relations betweens Blacks and Italians and his relationship with Sonny and his father.
The film obviously has been compared to Goodfellas but it’s a much tender and sweeter film and everything works out in the end for the best. The film however is just a fine good telling of an age old story of a boy who gets mixed up with the wrong people and what happens.
All of the cast is really great. It features extremely subtle performance by De Niro as Calogero’s jazz loving bus driving father. It’s very affective scene with him and Sonny discussing the time Sonny offered him a job but he turned it down on moral grounds. It’s also just an extremely well crafted film which is hard to do.
Overall the film is one to cherish and watch every once in a while. It’s also the best thing De Niro has directed.
Ian Schultz
Rating:15UK Blu-Ray Release Date:18th June 2012
Directed By: Robert De Niro
Cast: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Joe Pesci,
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A Bronx Tale - Official® Trailer [HD] Published via LongTail.tv
