A Bronx Tale

Name: A Bronx Tale
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: September 23, 1993
Duration: 121 min
Rating: 80
Cast: Chazz Palminteri, Robert De Niro

1993

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 179 Ratings

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8.6

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8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 179 Ratings

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A Bronx Tale

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Movie Details & Credits

Savoy Pictures | Release Date: September 23, 1993 | R

Starring: Chazz Palminteri, Robert De Niro

Summary: A young man grows up with his loyalties torn between his father and the mob boss who runs the streets.

Director: Robert De Niro

Genre(s): Drama, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 121 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

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. Read full review

100

Jay Carr

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]

Todd McCarthy

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. Read full review

Richard Schickel

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. Read full review

Empire Angie Errigo

Surprisingly sentimental by turns, this emerges not as just another gangster initiation movie, but as a story of father and son love with enough guts to hold those anticipating the former, while also touching the heart. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

On the whole, A Bronx Tale is an impressive work and it's easy to see why De Niro connected with Palminteri's story. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

jwmann2

Dec 20, 2011

If you are Italian, you must see this movie. Our culture is well documented in this movie as well as the tensions we have with other racial groups. At least the way it was in the 1960s. This movie just tells a great story. http://www.fromthisseat.com

5 of 7 users found this helpful52

RuthlessKoopa

Nov 21, 2010

the best movie ive ever seen u should go rent it or do something to get this movie because it was just absolutely amazing and ij ust baught this on dvd and i have not seen a better movie than this in my opionion

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

oblique15

Oct 13, 2013

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 60`s.The decisions you have to make whether good or bad.

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

OwenMansell

Jun 23, 2018

This film depicts the life of Calogero ('C') and his relationship between gangster boss Sonny and his father as he grows up and becomes a man. The message this story presents is too do what makes you happy and to not waste your life and through away your talents. Definitely worth a watch.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Tss5078

Feb 22, 2013

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.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.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

balisongas

Apr 21, 2014

You can clearly see that De Niro as a director took some ideas from Scorsese's movies, like for example a main character narrating the movie in first person.

De Niro's and Palminteri's acting was very good. Lillo Brancato did great, but not perfect. Overall it's a great movie that hasYou can clearly see that De Niro as a director took some ideas from Scorsese's movies, like for example a main character narrating the movie in first person.

De Niro's and Palminteri's acting was very good. Lillo Brancato did great, but not perfect.

Overall it's a great movie that has some very clever lines and moral things to say.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Broyax

Feb 14, 2020

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 deC'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 !… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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