Starring: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato
As someone who grew up in Southern Indiana, I can only imagine what it was like growing up in a big city. If I had to imagine what it was like in a city like New York during the 1960's, I'd like to imagine it being an awful lot like the setting of "A Bronx Tale". In it, Robert De Niro (making his directorial debut) tells Chazz Palminteri's amazing story adapted from his own one-man play. It's a gripping look at life for an Italian family growing up in a diverse city during a time when diversity was a hot-button issue.
The story follows young Calogero (Francis Capra/Brancato), or "C" as he's referred to. As a young boy, "C" witnesses a murder and keeps his mouth shut when questioned by the police. Doing so gets him in the good graces of the local gangster boss, Sonny (Palminteri). Fearing for his son's safety and moral future, "C"'s father Lorenzo (De Niro) works to keep "C" away from the gangsters, despite the seemingly glamorous lifestyle they lead. As "C" grows up and becomes a teenager, he finds it easier and easier to slip from his father's grasp and becomes very involved with Sonny's gang, becoming somewhat of a son to Sonny.
This dilemma for "C", of having two father figures at polar ends of the moral scale is what drives the film. He respects his father for being a hard worker, but also wants Sonny's fast-paced, easy money lifestyle, even if it means breaking a few laws. As a "gangster" movie, that's what makes "A Bronx Tale" stand out. It's not about the gangsters, but the decisions one makes to become a gangster.
The acting in the film is all top notch, including the child actors. Palminteri shines as Sonny, playing a neighborhood boss on par with a Corleone. De Niro makes you feel the pain of a father seeing his son slipping into a morally ambiguous life, while at the same time Lillo Brancato (teenage "C") makes you want to hate De Niro for not understanding his relationship with Sonny.
Palminteri's script is superb, making you laugh at appropriate moments, and feel heartbroken at others. The dialogue and words out of every characters mouth just scream 1960's Bronx. With the setting playing just as much of a role in the story as the individual characters, the stoops, Cadillac's, and big collared suits all transport the audience to a simpler time.
With a solid soundtrack featuring some top hits of the 60's ("Nights in White Satin", "Come Together", "A Beautiful Morning", etc), viewing "A Bronx Tale" will undoubtedly watch the film quickly shoot up your list of favorite gangster movies, and if you're like me, favorite movies period.
Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 9
Dialogue: 10
Acting: 9
Direction: 8
Audio/Visual: 7
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