Fresh and Exciting

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

There's a terrific song by the Moonglows called The Ten Commandments Of Love which is part of this movie's soundtrack, and which, for me, really captures what this story is about.It's a story about the friendship which develops between a young boy named Calogero Anello (Lilo Brancato), and local mob boss Sonny LoSpecchio (Chaz Palminteri) who owns the bar right next door to Calogero's tenement building.Set in the Bronx in the turbulent 1960's, it is also the story of the boy's father Lorenzo (Robert DeNiro), an honest, and hardworking man who's a bus driver for the city, and does not like his son getting mixed up with criminal elements.Thrown into the mix, and adding to the drama, is Calogero's attraction to a classy black girl named Jane Williams (Taral Hicks), at a time when racial tensions between blacks and whites was building to an explosion.The romance is like the cherry on the cake for me, it being so well done, so heartening, and inspiring (featuring a scene with another terrific song: I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingoes).Robert DeNiro does an incredible job directing this movie. It's a sparkling diamond of American film making.A great portrayal of love, loyalty, friendship, ties between father and son, and the seemingly trivial decisions that can alter our entire lives.Chaz Palminteri's script is perfect (in fact, I can't think of a single thing that could've been added or changed, it's really impressive).Joe Pesci also makes an appearance as Sonny's friend Carmine, and his presence (along with Lorenzo finally respecting Sonny), really makes the ending great.It should've won some Academy Awards. I can't believe it didn't. Rarely has there been such an excellent movie. Originally, Review #106Posted On: December 17, 2010

A Bronx tale was not a bad film but it lacked strong substance or good writing to hold it together. It depicted life and tensions of growing up in a Mob run town full of different communities. However it never quite gets there. You can see De Niro is trying to emulate the iconic Goodfellas with the soundtrack and tale of a child growing under mob influence but the film is a mix of interesting and somewhat random events. It lacks a strong premise. De Niro has chosen the winning ingredients for his drink but is still unsure of what drink he is making,

Robert De Niro directs and stars in this 1993 crime drama that co-stars Chazz Palminteri and Lillo Brancato based on Palminteri's play. This mainly takes place in the 1960's where we meet teen, Calogero aka C (Brancato) who befriends neighborhood mobster, Sonny (Palminteri) who becomes a father figure to him. De Niro (Goodfellas, Heat) plays C's father, Lorenzo who works as a bus driver and wants only the best for his son. He starts resenting Sonny because C spends more time with him and doesn't want him mixed in his kind of business. Eventually, Lorenzo comes to terms with their friendship and C also finds romance with girl, Jane (Taral Hicks). Joe Pesci (Goodfellas, Casino) also makes an appearance. This is a great film, De Niro and Palminteri are terrific in it as usual and the film truly depicts the time of racial tensions and classic music. I recommend this.

It's 1960 Bronx. Lorenzo Anello (Robert De Niro) is an earnest bus driver. He and his wife Rosina are raising their nine year old son Calogero who is fascinated with local mobsters led by Sonny LoSpecchio (Chazz Palminteri). One day, Calogero witnesses Sonny shoot another man on the streets but he refuses to rat him out to the cops. Sonny tries to take Calogero under his wings which Lorenzo rejects immediately. Eight years later, Calogero has become Sonny's protégé. Sonny has climbed higher in the mob. Despite racial hatred of the time, Calogero is taken with a black girl named Jane Williams.This is a great gangster movie directed by first timer Robert De Niro. It covers so much that I almost want it to be a two-parter. The first 45 minutes is amazing. The tug-a-war between the two father figures is amazing. Robert De Niro as a straight earnest guy is amazing. The confrontation scene between De Niro and Palminteri is amazing. The second half isn't too shabby either. The addition of the racial aspect brings something more to the gangster film genre. So much of this is amazing.