Rating: Summary: DeNiro should direct more... Review: Great movie... I don't think I could add anything to the great and accurate reviews that I've been reading from other people here... just wanted to say that DeNiro should learned something from working all these years with Scorcese... not that he's trying to emulate Scorcese, don't get me wrong, that's not what I mean... just wanted to say that DeNiro has many talents...
Rating: Summary: Brings The Bronx of the 1960's to Life Review: This was a great film by Robert De Niro in describing the rites of passage in The Belmont scetion of the Bronx in The 1960's. Chatz Palminteri and De Niro have a unlikely common interest, keeping Cologero out of trouble. It shows the racial hostility that was part of Bronx life back then and how the Mafia operated on the local level.
Rating: Summary: Authentically Awesome Film Review: This film is amazing. A remarkable story is revealed and stellar performances abound. Palminteri and De Niro, as is often typical of these great actors, offer impressive performances. However, the real stars of this film are Capra and Brancatto. The intense plot of this film makes it quite difficult to remove yourself from the television. One drama leads to another and you soon realize that nearly two hours have passed. Even more interesting, however, is the authenticity of the film. Depictions seem almost too real. This film romanticizes life in the Bronx during the 1960's. It's likely that you will end up desirous of living in that place and time. I know that I did. The soundtrack, meanwhile, only accentuates an already wonderful film that is representative of the Italian-American experience in New York. A must see film that words cannot even describe!
Rating: Summary: a bronx tale Review: the best thing about this movie is seeing the everyday life in the bronx the way it was then it paints a perfect picture and thats what the director - deniro is responsible for.
Rating: Summary: sheer masterpiece Review: Closely relating to my upbringing, definetly the greatest movie of all time in my books... i have watched this movie with 5 other people and they also give it the 5star salute as well... blended with continuous suspense and drama, the mix of love and moral and ethnic standings, this epidemic is not only for viewing pleasure but is an educational account of life on the streets.
Rating: Summary: Disappointing Review: I am a huge Robert De Niro fan. I love gangster genre movies. This film was really bad in my opinion. Extremely predictable to the point of nausea and the audience is force fed the rights and wrongs of life to the point where you want to throw this movie out the window. I also saw it when it first opened in theaters and I was really let down.There are a few good moments, all in all not the worst movie ever. There is no way this can be ranked with any of De Niro's really great movies though. If he was trying to use everything he learned from Scorscese he must not have learned too much. Again, this is my humble opinion. What do I know? But if you are thinking of buying this, make sure you rent it first. I wouldn't want this movie in my house.
Rating: Summary: Exceptional Film Review: This film is based on a one-man stage production written by Chazz Palminteri. He also wrote the screenplay for the film, and co-starred with Robert De Niro who also directed. The balance of the primary characters may appear familiar now, but when this film was made they were unknowns. The DVD version includes an excellent documentary that allows De Niro to explain why he chose to cast rookie actors, as well as his decision to not repeat the same type of genre crime film he had made many times before. He wanted to use all he had learned from directors like Martin Scorsese without repeating their work. That this film is to be very different is immediately apparent when De Niro's character is that of a NYC employee, a bus driver, and a father who wants everything for his son but what exists two doors down at the Chez Bipi, the location of the crime boss Sonny, brilliantly portrayed by Palminteri. The focal point of the film becomes, "C", the young son of De Niro. An event brings him in to contact with Sonny which starts a long term relationship between this powerful man, and the allure of his cars, the deference with which he is treated, and the life that can appear so attractive to a young boy. And then there is his father who tries to remain the focus of his son's life, a man who knows the superficiality of Sonny's life and the damage it could do to his son. Add to this all the normal pressures of growing up with teenage peer pressure, and the racially charged sixties, and you have a young man at the center of mind numbing events. It is when he is on the threshold of becoming an adult that all of the factors I mention finally come in to conflict. This is also the point when the film really distinguishes itself. The tragedy you expect to unfold does, yet it does so in a manner that you will not expect. "C", makes a choice of a girlfriend who comes from Mulberry Street, both his father and Sonny has strong feelings that they offer guidance with. When C finds himself with his friends on a vicious joyride, his life is saved, and eventually one of the most important men in his young life dies and the other comes to see an influence over C that was anything but evil. There is a great cameo that you might pick up on twice in the film, or perhaps will remember the first appearance after you see the second. The entire film has a brilliant cast, and is as far from the traditional tale this genre offers, as it surpasses most of the films offered to the fans of great cinema.
Rating: Summary: two thumbs way up!!!!!!! Review: De Niro can't get any more better as an actor or a director! The story is a classic, and the actors are the best. You must experience Robert De Niro as an actor, it makes me ask why he hasn't done it more than once! Just buy this dvd!
Rating: Summary: A wonderful coming-of-age story in little Italy Review: A fantastic drama about two completely different men, one who lives in the poor neighborhood in bronx and the other who owns it. Calogero grows up with two different role models: his father, the hard-working bus driver Lorenzo (acted by R. De Niro) and on the other hand the local gangster boss Sonny(acted by C. Palminteri). A shooting witnessed by Calogero is the starting point of a lasting bond between the gangster and the small boy. This is a wonderful movie about friendship, racial prejudices and love.
Rating: Summary: Mob rules Review: Calogero is very close to his working class father. He also looks up to Sonny (Chazz Palminteri), a local thug. But, after witnessing a murder at Sonny's hand, he is left in conflict. He becomes the child of two extreme fathers each with different ideas for their offspring's future. A BRONX TALE is an impressive directorial debut for star Robert DeNiro who presents this story in a place he is comfortable, in a world often defined by Martin Scorcese (GOODFELLAS). Period music is used to help re-create the Bronx, New York in the 1960s. That same music also supports the conflicts involving race relations that appear late in the film. After he refuses to finger Sonny to the police, Calogero, or "C", is taken in by the guys. With names like JoJo the Whale, Frankie Coffeecake, Eddie Mush, Jimmie Whispers and Tony Toupee, they force C to grow up too quickly. Like any child he makes good and bad decisions. Based on a one-man play written and performed by Palminteri, the story spreads a little thin but remains cohesive. The story does start to lose ground when C begins cross-racial dating. Too much pressure is put on the teens, especially the amateurish Jane, and the film briefly falls on its back, marred by wooden dialogue and ridiculous conclusions. There was a time when DeNiro was a reclusive actor but around the time of this film, the prolific guy we now see replaced him. His performance here is respectful on both sides of the camera. This was an early DVD release so only offers a trailer as bonus features and the video transfer is muddy in the darker scenes.
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