A Bronx Tale
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    A Bronx Tale is a very funny movie sometimes, and very touching at other times. It is filled with life and colorful characters and great lines of dialogue, and De Niro, in his debut as a director, finds the right notes as he moves from laughter to anger to tears. What's important about the film is that it's about values.
  2. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    100
    A Bronx Tale is a joy, a film that comes unerringly from someone's heart and experience, and not from a power lunch of agents with clients to be packaged. [1 Oct 1993, p. 49]
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  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    90
    A "GoodFellas" with heart, A Bronx Tale represents a wonderfully vivid snapshot of a colorful place and time, as well as a very satisfying directorial debut by Robert De Niro. Overflowing with behavioral riches and the flavor of a deep-dyed New York Italian neighborhood, the film also trades intelligently in pertinent moral and social issues that raise it above the level of nostalgia or the mere memoir.
  4. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    He lacks Scorsese's raw inventiveness, but there's no denying De Niro's skill in keeping this pungent street epic brimming over with action and laughs without sacrificing intimacy. He is a supreme director of actors.
  5. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Susan Wloszczyna
    88
    Instead of ladling on the Scorsese sauce, Robert De Niro's Bronx accent is on semisweet nostalgia. He presents a domestic drama spiced with humor about a boy torn between his working-stiff dad (De Niro in fine regular-fella mode) and Chazz Palminteri's easy-money ways. De Niro doesn't let arty camera angles sub for good storytelling. And he draws memorable performances from two amazing young, new actors. [01 Oct 1993, p. 8D]
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  6. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    De Niro successfully varies the tone, keeping it light and playful at times, dark and somber at others. A Bronx Tale is his triumph, and a testimony that all those years of watching the best in the business have borne fruit. If what is yet to come has any of the promise shown by this debut, we may be witnessing the birth of yet another directing talent.
  7. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Christopher Harris
    88
    Yet this surprisingly lyrical movie more than satisfies overall. De Niro, who has a rare eye for detail and nuance, shows himself at ease with action, comedy and romance. He also has a fine touch with actors. [1 Oct 1993, p. C5]
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. kublay0880
    5
    It's always great to see these actors in action, the story is the same you see in most Italian-American movies, how a good boy/man gets involved with the mob. Nothing fresh, there are no spectacular performances here. But it's a good weekend movie. Average… Full Review »
  2. Tss5078
    9
    For a long time, A Bronx Tale had distribution problems, was out of print, and was widely unavailable. For those reasons, I hadn't seen it since I was a kid. Watching it again years later, not only did I realize just how good a movie it is, but I also found that I took a lot more out of it. While being widely considered as one of the best mafia movies of all time, A Bronx Tale actually has a deeper meaning, which is not to waste the talent you have in the time you are given. I was also surprised to learn that this story is in fact the true story of Chazz Palminteri's childhood, with Chazz being a nickname for Calogero. For those of you who don't know the story, it's about the son of a bus driver, who grows up in the Bronx, right down the block from a mafia hangout. While this boy learns different things from his real family and his mafia family, who are always at odds, they actually both want the same things for this kid. A Bronx Tale isn't just another gangster movie, there is some of that, but it's really an inspirational coming of age tale that I found to be very eye opening. The cast is of course fantastic, featuring Robert De Niro, who directs and stars in the film, along with Palminteri, who wrote the film. The true irony of A Bronx Tale is surrounded by the true story of Lillo Brancato, the boy who plays Calogero. As I said the story is about discovering right from wrong and not wasting your talent, something Brancato did when he was convicted of an armed robbery, which led to the death of an off-duty police officer. There are many sides to that, but I felt it necessary to mention how ironic it is that the message of the film is actually lost on one it's stars. In closing, A Bronx Tale really is a lost gem, that lives up to all the hype, and I hope that now that's streaming on Netflix, a whole new generation will be exposed to the message it puts out there for them to hear.… Full Review »
  3. StevePulaski
    10
    A Bronx Tale successfully brings out every emotion your system can handle. From anger, to joy, to laughter, to happiness, to sympathy, to empathy, to tears, and to, finally, satisfaction as the final scene fades into credits. This is De Niro's directorial debut and he handles the challenge exquisitely. Complimented by Chazz Palminteri's slick and fearless writing that documents the struggles, the gangs, and the racism of the Bronx streets with no sugarcoating and no easy ways out.

    Adapted from its stage play counterpart, A Bronx Tale focuses on the famous area in New York where little nine year old Calogero (played by Francis Capra during his tender years) is growing up on the unapologetic streets with his bus driver father Lorenzo (De Niro) and his nervous mother. Lorenzo frequently warns Calogero that "the saddest thing in life is a wasted talent," hoping that his son will take the path of untold success later in life.

    One day, while sitting idly on his stoop with his buddies, Calogero witnesses a murder. The murder was made by the area mafia boss Sonny (Palminteri). Him and his crew are respected, at the same time feared for their unpredictable actions and their checkered history. When called back to the scene by detectives looking for the murderer, young Calogero lies and refuses to confess. His father is subtly proud, but warns his son that he has just done a good thing for a bad person. The good news is their family won't be on the hit list. The bad news is their family is now on the suspicious list.

    Eight years later, Calogero, now played by Lillo Brancato Jr., is nicknamed "C" by Sonny and has become his main-man. His second son as well as his partner in crime. His father is somewhat oblivious to what his son has been up to recently, but he believes he can take care of himself, while still nudging him in the right direction.

    Sonny's philosophy is greatly different from Lorenzo's. It's "nobody really cares." When the chips are down, who's there to care? Nobody. You're a worthless human. The brutally honest, shameless half of the glass. Sonny's philosophy sticks with Calogero, but he also keeps his father's in mind. Do the two connect? Maybe in some ambiguous, unorthodox way, but it just seems they are two contradicting ways of life. Here's a film that also shows us that if we're lucky, we get two different outlooks on life from two very different people. A man who works in a town and a man who owns it.

    De Niro was in a very rough position when it came time to grab a hold of the camera for this film. He could either take the easy way out and make a Goodfellas-style mobster flick or mimic his stellar character's lifestyle in Raging Bull. But he doesn't. He most likely was the go-to guy for help with the script and offered Palminteri advice, but in no way is this another mafia film. It's a unique kind of mafia film. It shows the long-lasting and life changing effects it has on a youth growing up on the wrong side of the streets.

    This greatly reminds me of a phenomenal film from the eighties that tackles the same sort of subject. The film was John Singleton's Boyz N The Hood, setting its sights on three troubled youths growing up in the hood and getting caught in the mix of crime, drugs, and racism. The film was Singleton's directorial debut as well, featured stellar performances from every actor in it, a genius script, and some fantastic honesty about the life of the hood. A Bronx Tale does the same, but centers its story around the mafia. Not glorifying the violence, not acting pretentious over other classics of the same genre, but taking a cliche and turning it into a gritty reality.

    What is important to learn from A Bronx Tale is that it's a movie with values. It believes that beliefs and values should be the first thing someone should consider when in a serious situation. Sometimes we don't think about the consequences and dive right into what we think will satisfy ourselves and turn out the way we want in no time. It too forms the question; is it better to be universally loved or feared? I'd rather be a little bit of both with a strong blend of respect.

    Starring: Lillo Brancato, Jr., Chazz Palminteri, Robert De Niro, Taral Hicks, Francis Capra, Kathrine Narducci, Clem Caserta, and Joe Pesci. Directed by: Robert De Niro.    … Full Review »
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