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]
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.
Matthew Alexander "Matt" Sinegar [SIN-NA-GAR] (An EXTREMELY Mature & EXTREMELY Heterosexual (Straight) African-American/Black Man):
A Bronx Tale Is Literally Always One Of My All-Time Favorite Mafia & Gangster Flicks.
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.
The central conflict, the struggle for Calogero's soul, is stated with a fable's starkness. But the tone of the film is musing, reflective, gently insinuating.
The story is riddled with absurd coincidences and improbabilities. It doesn't have an original bone in its body. And no one's going to leave this film thinking De Niro should stay behind the camera. But none of these problems stops the movie from being enjoyable. If Bronx Tale feels too familiar, it's at least the familiarity of good Italian movies.
Despite some sentimentality and occasional directorial missteps, this is a respectable piece of work--evocative, very funny in spots, and obviously keenly felt. With Francis Capra, Taral Hicks, and Katherine Narducci.
"A Bronx Tale" is a labour of love that is guided by De Niro's excellent direction debut. De Niro wisely stays away from the main acting spotlight and lets the other actors, such as Chazz Palminteri and Lillo Brancato Jr./Francis Capra, shine bright as their colourful and likeable characters. In fact, the whole film is populated by colourful characters who have memorable things to say. They all live in a well-established depiction of The Bronx that is complete with a well-executed soundtrack. Lastly, they all play a part in telling a story that proudly walks the fine line between Comedy and Drama. Before seeing this picture, I was afraid that it was going to be De Niro taking a stab at being a poor man's Martin Scorsese, but instead he has created a film that stands on its own two feet because it is marked by a unique identity that makes it stand out from countless other films that involve gangs/mafias.
Although it is a gangster movie there are not many action scenes, because the conflict is about the education of a young boy. So this movie is more psychological. Robert de Niro and Chazz Palminteri were great. Also the soundtrack is top.
If you`re looking for the typical Mob movie this isn`t what you`re looking for.A Bronx Tale has mob activities, but it`s much more than that. I`t teaches you how it was to live as an Italian in the **** decisions you have to make whether good or bad.
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
C'est tiré d'une pièce de théâtre de l'acteur principal Palminteri et réalisé par De Niro, pas très çà l'aise dans cet exercice périlleux et casse-gueule dont il ne sort certainement pas avec les honneurs... Il s'est accordé un petit rôle là-dedans mais c'est surtout "histoire de", car de toute façon, ça ne fait que singer les Affranchis de Scorsese, de façon pénible et complètement foireuse...
On suit donc l'enfance et l'adolescence du petit con dans le Bronx avant que ça ne devienne un territoire afro-américain, du temps que quelques mafieux contrôlaient soit-disant ce merdier sans vraiment y parvenir... mais on a de toute façon du mal à y croire vu -déjà- le relâchement sévère des moeurs (le petit con se tape en effet une jeune fille de couleur, carrément !).
On sent donc bien ce vivre_ensemble et la niaiserie larvée qui va avec, la morale à deux balles et toutes les conneries qui vont avec, la musique de merde et ses chansonnettes ringardes qui vont avec, et surtout l'ennui général du truc, lequel malgré ses ("seulement" !) deux heures donne l'impression d'en durer cinq ou six.
Donc, poubelle ce truc, un film à ne pas voir, quoi qu'il arrive !