A Bronx Tale Essay, Research Paper
A Bronx Tale
It s 1960 in New York City in the middle of the
bronx. Living at East 187th Street is the family of
Calogero (played at age 9 by Francis Capra and at
age 17 by Lillo Brancato). Calogero s father
Lorenzo believes that a man should make an honest
living to support his family and refuses to be
involved in anything that is illegal, such as
working for Sonny, the local boss . Lorenzo is
played by Robert De Niro. However, Calogero
idolizes Sonny, and when given the oppurtunity to
help the boss beat a murder charge, Calogero
helps him out. As greatful as Sonny was he took
the 9-year old under his wing and despite the
protestations of Lorenzo, the two developed a bond.
As a result of their relationship , Calogero now
has two people each giving him different advice and
neither respecting what the other has to say.
Life s difficult choices, when tackled by
conscience, lead to survival in a brutal world.
Robert De Niro has appeared in some of the
greatest gangster films of the past two decades. As
the director of this film it doesn t
surprise to anyone that De Niro has chosen this
genre for his first behind the camera motion
picture.
A Bronx Tale covers little new ground, but the
material s presentation is anything but ordinary.
Sure, on the surface, it s another gangster movie,
but the story has a lot more to it. A Bronx Tale
gives it s viewers an overly aspiring perspective,
but the film has a lot of emotional meaning.
Violence in this film is limited. While there
are graphic beatings, we see little blood.
Instead, the characters are kept at center focus.
The characters are very human, very believable, and
very compelling to watch. De Niro s direction is
excellent; he fills the film with details and makes
clear points within every frame.
Growing up in such a difficult society,
Calogero finds himself seeking approval of his
father, but finds it impossible to avoid his
personal needs. As such an impressionable young
man, his childhood is torn between many influences
in a brutal society. Life s difficult choices,
when tackled by conscience, lead to survival in a
brutal world.