A Bronx Tale – Review

While not a fast-paced gangster action flick, this period piece is expertly crafted from the script to the screen. It combines a classic coming of age feel with superb acting and music, including Robert DeNiro in a turn as a strong working man Lorenzo who hopes to keep his young son clear of the local block hoodlums.

Bus driver Lorenzo’s son Calogero (Brancato) and his neighborhood crew grow up watching the local gangsters, emulating their style and mannerisms, fantasizing about money, power and respect. They romanticize the criminals, looking for any ways to get drawn into their world and the instant reverence that came with it, especially the boss Sonny (Palminteri). The story is slow, but tense at times, and the characters are multi-dimensional. The movie covers a few years in time as Calogero grows from young child into a young man.

While some of the plot beats are familiar, they do not ring as overdone or false. The message included in this movie is sharper than many movies of its time with a strong focus on consequences and tangible lessons. Able to weave in themes of racism, poverty and somehow even romance, this classic film has something for most any mature audience. If this is one you have not seen, definitely spend the time with it.

Who is the real sucker, the underpaid working man struggling to help his family, or the young hoodlum, flush with cash and facing death around the corner?