BITE-SIZED: A Bronx Tale (Robert DeNiro, 1993)

Calogero (Francis Capra and Lillo Brancato, Jr.) is a young Italian American boy growing up in the Bronx during the sixties.

After he covers for a murder on his front stoop, Calogero becomes the favourite of local mobster Sonny (Chazz Palimentari).

As he grows up, Calogero finds himself torn between the worldviews of Sonny and his hardworking dad Lorenzo (DeNiro).

Based on the autobiographical one-man show by Chazz Palminteri, Robert DeNiro’s directorial debut is a fine coming-of-age film.

There is a version of this movie where it is a simple binary, as  Calogero (or C as Sonny calls him) moves between his two father figures.

But Palminteri's nuanced script and the cast's performances feel so well-drawn that those kinds of easy divides are harder to make.

Sonny offers the youngster his philosophy on treating people just well enough that they remain loyal. On a deeper level, he gives Calogero unvarnished honesty. 

Lorenzo is internal and closed off. He loves his son, but he does not know how to express it.

Sonny is blunt and to the point. He has no patience for hypocrisy. He also gives Calogero confidence to not follow what society regards as the right choices. 

When Calogero is unsure whether he should ask Jane (Taral Hicks), a black girl in his school, out on a date, Sonny lets him borrow his car. It is an interesting juxtaposition to Lorenzo, who shoots him down.

In their own ways, each adult complements what Calogero needs to grow up.

It also means the movie is riddled with more organic tension, beyond the obvious threat Sonny represents.

Because of how much time the film spends investing in these duelling relationships, it becomes a genuine conflict.

Anchored by the unvarnished performances of young leads Capra and Brancato, Jr., A Bronx Tale is a fine coming-of-age drama.