حكاية برونكس

So very unoriginal...extremely disappointing. One reading reviews about this movie should really only consider opinions of those that have educated themselves on existing mobster movies. It's so sad that some of these reviewers think this was a good movie just because DeNiro's in it...kids check out what's already out there before you decide that this is a "BRILLIANT MOVIE"...there are only 2 brilliant mobster movies...The Godfather and Goodfellas. Even though DeNiro is hands down the best bad a** in film, don't assume you've got a gem here. As far as making statements about racial divides in the 60s...great..I think it's a sweet little commentary...but don't use that sub-plot to try to churn out a mobster movie too...

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.

I had seen A Bronx Tale several times, but not for a few years prior to my latest viewing. It was screened for guests who had not seen it. They loved it, and so did I, more than ever. My rating went from a 9 to a 10. It is a remarkable directorial debut for Robert De Niro, who told writer Chazz Palminteri that he would make it "f'n great." Understandably, Palminteri said he would not change a thing about it. The soundtrack selected by De Niro really helps set the scene for this solid period piece depicting The Bronx in the civil rights era. The film looks great, with excellent cinematography courtesy of Reynaldo Villalobos. A first film for many concerned; it is another example of ideal casting. A Bronx Tale deals with how one is shaped by their upbringing and environment. Lillo Brancato's Calogero is uniquely advantaged by having strong parenting (De Niro) and a positive friendship with the local mob boss (Palminteri), but nevertheless, peer pressure pulls him into a vortex of destructive negativity, and removing himself from it is easier said than done.