A Bronx Tale (1993)

A Bronx Tale



A Bronx Tale genre: Crime drama release year

Release year: 1993.

Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancato

Direction: Robert De Niro

Nine-year-old Callogero lives in the Bronx.
Surrounded by mobsters, racists, and street thugs. He witnesses a shooting involving Sonny, one of the local heavyweights, but refuses to snitch to the cops. Sonny takes an interest in the kid and starts teaching him how the streets work.
Callogero’s father (De Niro) is an honest man, a bus driver who wants his son to earn a living legitimately, far away from guys like Sonny. But Callogero still seeks out Sonny to learn the rules of life in the Bronx.
Despite being a gangster, Sonny cares for the boy and tries to show him how dangerous that lifestyle really is. Still, the kid misinterprets the lessons and gets caught up in racial fights with his friends. Things get even more complicated when he falls for a Black girl.

This movie stuck with me. It was great. Probably time for a rewatch... pure perfection. A raw look at life in the Bronx. I remember sitting around with my father and uncle watching this masterpiece a long time ago. Some parts still make me laugh... like those scenes with that unlucky gambler. Or the old man calling everyone Mary. In the end, it turns into a sad film, but it's incredibly real. Everyone should see it. You don't forget it...

It’s truly an excellent film... It was quite refreshing to see Robert De Niro in such an unconventional role, given that he's typically cast as the quintessential mobster rather than this type of character.

Really solid movie. Definitely a four-star flick for me.

Top-tier movie. Chazz is just unforgettable playing Sonny, that mobster role.

By the way, the story is actually based on Chazz's childhood. His real name is Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri..

Solid movie, classic de Niro performance here.

In my personal top 10... 🙏

Personally, this ranks as one of my favorite films; de Niro was absolutely excellent here.

It’s a fantastic film. Even though it came out back in '93, I didn't actually catch it on TV until just a couple of years ago, and I was honestly stunned by how much I had somehow missed all this time.🙂

I completely agree with you; it was such an unconventional role for de Niro, but he handled it brilliantly. At the end of the day, the man is a consummate professional—that's what you expect from someone of his caliber—but of course, only the absolute best in the business can pull off a transformation that seamless.

I'm with the rest of you, it’s a great movie...
With all this madness involving remakes and mindless blockbusters, there isn't anything smart left to watch. Where are the actual good films?

This movie is an absolute masterpiece; I loved every single second of it.

That scene where the bikers roll into the bar? Pure badassery. 🙏



The ending is gut-wrenching, but it’s such a beautiful story. The guy playing Sonny is incredible, and de Niro is just top-tier as always. As for the kid in the lead role, I’m pretty sure I recognize him from New Jersey. 🤷

A total masterpiece! Both the plot and the acting hit the mark perfectly. What strikes me most about this film is its brutal honesty. It teaches you things that actually shift your perspective once the credits roll. The entire narrative centers on this tense triangle between father, son, and the mob. What’s truly fascinating is that Sonny isn't trying to teach the kid the life at all; he doesn't want that for him. On the flip side, you have this fiercely protective father doing everything in his power to keep his son from getting sucked into those gangster circles. Sonny’s legendary "Nobody cares" line is something we see play out daily. I also have to mention his advice regarding women and love—how he claims there are only ever three "real" ones in a lifetime—not to mention his little test involving a car and a woman, and that whole "trust no one" worldview. I was particularly struck by his comment regarding Calogero's so-called friends: "They are jerk offs." That really made me stop and think: who am I actually hanging out with? Do my friends actually hold any value? Do I even need them? It even made me reflect on the pathetic nature of solo indulgence. Lorenzo is an honest, proud man. He gets an offer from Sonny for some easy money, but he turns it down because he refuses to get involved in anything shady. His role serves as another reminder of a fundamental truth: only hard work—honest work—ennobles a person. No one who builds a life on dirty money ends up well, a fact that becomes painfully clear by the end of the movie. The ending is, if you will, predictable. That’s just how it goes when you're in the mob, though I believe it's the best possible way the story could have unfolded. There is so much more to unpack here that I could write pages upon pages, but I've only shared what left a profound impact on me. Highly recommended!!

Just finished watching this movie and man, it was an absolute blast... This is exactly why I love the classics. The storytelling is tight and everything just clicks perfectly where it should... Definitely one of the best I've seen in a long time...

It’s kind of wild how Sonny says in the movie that the saddest thing in life is wasted talent. And then later on, you see the main guy throw that exact same line right back at you.

The irony is just hitting me hard here—Lillo Brancato basically threw his own acting career down the drain when he ended up serving ten years in prison for burglary and helping cover up a cop's murder.

I’ve actually sat through this one a few times now, and honestly, it’s a fantastic 👍; those are pretty much the only kinds of movies I ever bother watching.

The nineties were such a goldmine for incredible movies. Even though most people call this one a total classic, I actually haven't had the chance to sit down and watch it yet. Honestly, it feels weird that I missed out on it until now...

I was just thinking about how back then—unlike nowadays—filmmakers could dive into all these heavy, complex themes without losing their way. Everything just worked together so seamlessly...

On top of the fact that de Niro absolutely kills it playing the father, you have to remember this was his directorial debut (out of only two films he ever did)...

Sure, some might say the messages in there are things we'd label as "politically correct" today, and I bet it's no accident they lean into those topics. But unlike a lot of modern movies, this one isn't screaming for attention at festivals or begging for awards. It actually has soul, and it doesn't feel forced or pathetic at all...

I’ve caught this one on TV a few times—tried to give it a fair shake—but honestly, it just doesn't hit. It isn't anything special. In my opinion, it simply doesn't belong in the same league as classics like *Las Vegas*, *Donnie Brasco*, *Goodfellas*, *Carlito's Way*, or *The Insider*.

It’s not even the same league, but then again, we aren't even talking about the same thing! This one is all about that coming-of-age vibe—you know, a kid totally obsessed with the local mobster in his neighborhood. Plus, you've got family dynamics, romance, and even touches of racism woven in there... Honestly, Sonny himself actually comes across as a pretty decent guy. In some ways, he's even more positive than his own father, who was just your typical hard-working family man...

Sony actually has another stellar performance tucked away in "bullet over Broadway," just set in a slightly different neighborhood.

I guess Chazz is basically like a nine-year-old who witnessed a murder right there on the streets of the Bronx. He's pretty much Calogero from the movie.