Amazon.com: Chazz Palminteri wrote the script for this excellent story of an Italian American boy (Lillo Brancato) who grows up in the 1960s caught between the strong influences of his blue-collar, straight- arrow father (Robert De Niro) and a Mafia chieftain (Palminteri) who is his all-purpose mentor. De Niro makes his directorial debut with this production and, except for a little stiffness, does very well by the characters and their world. The story does not go precisely where one might expect it to go: Palminteri knows better than to force the central figure to choose between the two most important men in his life, and he doesn't fill time with stock drama about crime or family conflict. Joe Pesci makes an extremely effective and uncredited appearance at the end as a man who doesn't have to do more than speak softly to communicate how dangerous he is. --Tom Keogh
Not Wide-Screen Version Do not buy from Amazon marketplace vendor MOVIESONSALE1. They advertised Bronx Tale as wide screen but sent the movie in full screen version with misleading packaging. Now I know why their rating is only 89% satisfaction. They collect money and deposit it and accrue interest and wait for the buyer to complain. I waited over a month to watch this movie and I went ballistic. After contacting the seller they claim they will send me a prepaid envelope and a full refund.
Great Used DVD I bought this DVD used on Saterday & recieved it on Thursday. At first I didn't know what to expect because I had never bought a used DVD before. But to my surprise it was in good working order when I watched it. I feel more confident now about buying a used DVD.
Mickey Mantle don't care about you, so why should you care about him? But you should care about this classic. This movie passes all the tests. Except the Mario test.
Simply Put, One Great Movie Based on Chazz Paliminteri's autobiographical one-man play, "A Bronx Tale" is an impressive coming-of-age story about a young man, Calogero, or "C," as he is called, growing up in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx during the racially turbulent Sixties who is torn between the ethical standards set by his scrupulously honest bus driver father, Lorenzo, and the flashy appeal of "Sonny," the charismatic local crime boss. When Calogero, as a mere child, witnesses Sonny shoot and kill a man in a street dispute and refuses to pick him out of a hastily organized lineup moments later, Sonny takes the boy under his wing, much to the displeasure of his father. In his own way, Sonny is looking out for the young man's best interests. He is both paternal and protective, urging C to stop hanging out with his troublemaking friends, whom he derisively calls "jerk-offs," and emphasizing the importance of a good education. He also tutors him in the ways of the street. "That way," says C, "I'll be twice as smart as everyone else." Eventually there is a heated confrontation between the boy's father and the gangster, but the lure of Sonny's lifestyle - a flashy red Cadillac, women, nice clothes, "respect" - is too strong for the youngster to resist. There is an interesting assortment of supporting characters - Eddie Mush (the unluckiest gambler in the world), Tony Toupee (so called because of his ill-fitting hairpiece), Frankie Coffee Cake (whose acne-scarred face reminded everyone of a Drake's coffee cake) - and a host of others who apparently made an indelible impression on the young Palminteri. There are several memorable scenes - the humorous antics during a basement craps game; the invasion of Sonny's bar by a gang of bikers, to their regret; Sonny's advising his protege on dating etiquette. Robert De Niro, in his directorial debut, plays Lorenzo, but it is Chazz Palminteri's Sonny who dominates the film throughout. The ending is sad, poignant, and touching, but of course I won't go into that here on the assumption that you haven't seen this movie. As a lay person I'm unable to intelligently critique the technical aspects of any film, but I can state in all honesty that this is one movie I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.
IF A MAFIA FLICK CAN BE HEARTWARMING, THIS IS IT! This is a film that I can watch a kazillion times and still not get enough. Chazz Palminteri is one of the scariest actors in gangster history. However, his insight into the world that he was born in was touching. Robert De Niro shines as a frustrated father trying to save his son from the streets.
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