A Bronx Tale (1993)

A father becomes worried when a local gangster befriends his son in the Bronx in the 1960s.

Director:

Robert De Niro

Writers:

Chazz Palminteri (play), Chazz Palminteri (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Lorenzo Anello
Chazz Palminteri	...	Sonny LoSpecchio
Lillo Brancato	...	Calogero 'C' Anello (age 17)
Francis Capra	...	Calogero 'C' Anello (age 9)
Taral Hicks	...	Jane Williams
Kathrine Narducci	...	Rosina Anello
Clem Caserta	...	Jimmy Whispers
Alfred Sauchelli Jr.	...	Bobby Bars
Frank Pietrangolare	...	Danny K.O
Joe Pesci	...	Carmine
Robert D'Andrea	...	Tony Toupee
Eddie Montanaro	...	Eddie Mush
Fred Fischer	...	JoJo the Whale
Dave Salerno	...	Frankie Coffeecake
Joe D'Onofrio	...	Slick (Age 17)

Storyline

Gangster Sonny is the big man in the Bronx neighborhood of an Italian small boy named Calogero. A shooting witnessed by the boy (nicknamed C) is the starting point of a lasting bond between the gangster and the boy. Father (bus driver Lorenzo), however, disapproves. C grows up under the wing of both men, torn between his own natural honesty and his fascination with Sonny. C's neighborhood cronies get involved in theft, use of guns, and racial fights. When C falls for an African American girl, things don't get any easier. C's leap to manhood is marked by tragedy, but also by his recognition of the many faces of love.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | racism | bus | african american | racist | 

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Taglines:

One man lives in the neighborhood, another man owns it. A devoted father battles the local crime boss for the life of his son.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and several scenes of violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

29 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

In den Straßen der Bronx

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$17,266,971 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Price Entertainment, Penta Entertainment, Tribeca Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some scenes were filmed at William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City.

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Goofs

The red and black destination signs shown on the GM old-look busses during the 1960 scenes weren't used until the late-'70s. The early signs were simply black and white.

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Quotes

Sonny: Look at me! I did this to you! REMEMBER ME!

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Crazy Credits

Dedicated to the memory of Robert De Niro, Sr.

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Connections

Referenced in Ma vie en l'air (2005)

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Soundtracks

"That's Life"
Performed by Frank Sinatra

User Reviews

Interesting Portrait With A Killer 'Hero'

Here is a realistic-looking and an involving story of the street life in New York City's Bronx section in the 1950s and 1960s. Excellent acting and a good job of re-creating the era and site's atmosphere are main things going for this film. Also the soundtrack is very, very good. The main problem I have with the film is the fact that a cold-blooded killer is made to be the hero - a guy that you root for! Unbelievable.

Playing that killer is Chazz Palminteri, who outperforms the more famous and great actor and co-star Robert De Niro. Actually, the co-star is Lilo Brancoto, who was recently in the news for allegedly committing a major crime himself.

Anyway, supposedly this is Palminteri's story of his childhood and features him as a young boy and then as a 17-year-old. He has a straight father (De Niro) but looks up to the area's Mafia leader "Sonny" (Palminteri), who takes the kid under his wing for not ratting on him when he witnessed him killing someone.

It may have a bad message, and gives a couple shots at the Catholic Church along the way, but the characters and the story keeps one tuned to the screen for the full two hours. It was good to see De Niro play the honest, hard-working bus driver who wants his kid to have character and not emulate the local hoods.

This is a not a movie for those who wince at the f-word because it's used frequently. This is more of man's movie, really, with males dominating and some good advice on dating and what to look for in women! "Sonny," despite being a killer, is shown to be a caring, compassionate guy who cares about young "Calogero" (Brancoto, and earlier as a 9-year-old played by Francis Capra).

There are so many mixed messages in here - good and bad - it would make your head swim, but it is a crime film very much worth investigating.