A Bronx Tale

 3.5/4

Starring: Lillo Brancato, Robert DeNiro, Chazz Palmenteri, Francis Capra, Taral Hicks

Rated R for Strong Language and Several Scenes of Violence

Our personalities and world views are shaped not just by our experiences, but by the people in our lives.  Parents, teachers, and everyone else tries to instill their values on the children in their care.  The kids absorb these lessons and decide what works for them.  That is what growing up is all about.

For Calogero, his two influences are his father Lorenzo (DeNiro) and Sonny (Palmentiri), the local mob boss.  Calogero saw Sonny murder a man over a parking dispute and was impressed (and grateful) that the young boy (Capra) didn't rat him out to the cops.  He takes the kid under his wing, which Lorenzo vehemently disapproves.  As an adult (Brancato), Calogero (who goes by "C" after being given the nickname by Sonny) tries to use their lessons to help him navigate some difficult waters like romance with a pretty girl named Jane (Hicks) and the growing influence of his ne'er-do-well friends.

The premise alone sounds like this would be a struggle between good (Lorenzo) and evil (Sonny) for the soul of an innocent, leading to an inevitable violent conclusion between the two men.  You couldn't be more wrong.  "A Bronx Tale" isn't about violence.  It's about deciding who you want to become and what you care about.  Lorenzo and Sonny have very different views of the world, which they both try to impart on C.  Lorenzo values integrity and hard work, believing that the greatest tragedy is "wasted talent."  Sonny, however, believes in self-preservation.  No one cares about you so do what you think is best and be your own man.

The acting is exceptional.  Robert DeNiro has been typecast as a tough guy (and has gleefully parodied it to boot), but he brings none of that to his performances.  Lorenzo is a more emotional, more vulnerable person than we are used to seeing.  In one way or another, characters that DeNiro plays are aloof and guarded.  Lorenzo is anything but that.  Even the scene where the volcanic intensity he is known for comes bursting out is colored differently; we feel his pain.  For his part, Chazz Palmenteri is every bit the equal of his more famous co-star.  Sonny's behavior towards C is paternal; he has no interest in grooming the kid for a mobster's life (quite the opposite, in fact).  He loves C like a father and doesn't want him to go down the same path he did.  Sonny can kill if the circumstances call for it, but one gets the sense that if he could have chosen another occupation, he would have done so.

There isn't a false note in either performance from Francis Capra or Lillo Brancato.  It's easy to believe that they are playing C at different ages.  And neither has trouble playing the part.  Capra is neither cute nor whiny, and Brancato, in his film debut, navigates the complex emotional terrain with the skill of an old veteran.  In Brancato's case, it was life imitating art.  The young actor was using drugs at the time, and both DeNiro and Palmenteri tried to steer him away from them, but they did not succeed.

DeNiro directs this film with a sure hand, faltering only at the end with too much ambiguity and confusing revelations.  One would have to be blind to miss the influence of Martin Scorsese on this film, although this something altogether different.  This is a thoughtful and, at times, tragic story.  It's about people who come into our lives and give us the lessons they learned the hard way.