A Bronx Tale
is a 1993 film set in The Bronx during the turbulent era of the 1960s. It was the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, and follows a young man as his path in life is guided by two father figures, played by De Niro and Chazz Palminteri. It also includes a brief appearance by Joe Pesci. It was written by Palminteri, based partially upon his childhood.
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A BRONX TALE TICKETS
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Plot
The movie opens in 1960 with Lorenzo Anello's (
Robert De Niro) young son Calogero (
Francis Capra) witnessing a murder committed by the local
Mafia boss, Sonny (
Chazz Palminteri). When Calogero chooses to keep quiet when questioned by police officers, Sonny takes a liking to him and Lorenzo. Sonny's men offer Lorenzo a job to make more money, but Lorenzo, preferring a law-abiding life, politely declines. Sonny, however, befriends Calogero and introduces him to his crew. Calogero earns tips amounting to 600 dollars working in the mafia bar, and is admonished harshly by Lorenzo when he discovers it. Lorenzo speaks severely to Sonny, returns the money, and warns him to keep away from Calogero.
Eight years later, Calogero (now played by
Lillo Brancato, Jr.) has grown into a young man and has secretly been visiting Sonny regularly without Lorenzo knowing. Calogero is also part of a gang of racist Italian boys at his high school, although he, Sonny and the rest of his crew are not racist: in fact, many times, Sonny tries to persuade Calogero to keep away from the boys and focus more on his schoolwork. Some time later, Calogero meets an African-American girl, Jane, and is smitten with her, and the two arrange a date. He asks advice from both Lorenzo and Sonny, the latter whom agrees to lend Calogero his car and tells him of a specific detail to look out for which determines whether or not the date is a worthwhile prospect. Around the same time, Calogero's friends beat up a group of black cyclists passing through their neighbourhood, and Calogero is powerless to stop them. One of these is Jane's brother, who accuses Calogero of beating him. In the ensuing argument, Calogero calls Jane's brother a "fucking nigger" by accident. Heartbroken, Jane leaves Calogero. At home, Calogero is confronted by Lorenzo, who saw him driving Sonny's car from the window. A row ensues, and Calogero storms out. Suddenly, he is confronted by a furious Sonny and his crew, who found a bomb in Sonny's car and suspected Calogero of planning to assassinate him. Calogero swears his innocence and is allowed to leave. Lorenzo, who saw the mobsters roughing Calogero, emerges to defend his son, but is assaulted by Sonny's men and sent back home.
The blacks egg the Italian boys' usual spot, and in revenge, Calogero's friends make a plan to strike back, using molotov cocktails. They take Calogero with them, but along the journey, Sonny intervenes and orders them to release Calogero to him. Sonny takes Calogero back to the bar, where Jane was looking for him. Calogero catches up with Jane, who tells him that her brother recognised the boy who beat him up and now knows that it wasn't Calogero. Jane and Calogero make amends, but Calogero suddenly remembers his friends' plans to assault Jane's neighbourhood, where her brother will most likely be, and the two rush to stop them.
However, upon arriving, Calogero and Jane see the boys' car destroyed and the boys themselves burned to death: during the assault, a black shopkeeper had thrown one of the boys' flaming bottles back into their car through the window, igniting the remaining bottles and causing a crash and an explosion. Realising that Sonny saved his life, Calogero rushes back to the bar to thank him, but the bar is crowded, and an unnamed assassin (presumably the same person who planted the bomb in Sonny's car) shoots Sonny in the back of the head before Calogero can warn him.
A funeral is held for Sonny, where countless people come to pay their respects. Once they are all gone, a lone man named Carmine (
Joe Pesci) visits, claiming that Sonny once saved his life as well. Calogero does not appear to know Carmine, but remembers him when he sees a scar on his forehead: the day Sonny had committed that murder outside Calogero's home when Calogero was little, it had been in defense of Carmine, who was being beaten by the assailant with a baseball bat. Carmine tells Calogero to visit him should he need anything, and leaves just as Lorenzo arrives. Calogero makes peace with his father, and the two walk home.
Settings and filming locations
A Bronx Tale
was filmed in three New York City neighborhoods. Though set entirely in the Bronx, only one of these locations was actually in that borough. The
Fordham neighborhood in which Calogero lives was actually filmed in
Astoria,
Queens; the
black neighborhood said to be on and around Webster Avenue was actually filmed at East 15th Street and Gravesend Neck Road in
Sheepshead Bay,
Brooklyn; finally, the scene set on the Bronx's
City Island was actually filmed in that location.