A Bronx Tale (1993)

IMDb plot summary: An intense drama about a boy torn between his tough, hard-working father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss.

Directed by Robert De Niro. Stars Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, and Lillo Brancato.

A Bronx Tale is a movie written by Chazz Palminteri and directed by Robert De Niro. The two actors also feature in the film. It tells the story of a young boy in his childhood and teen years living in a neighborhood that is run by a gangster. The gangster takes the boy under his wing, much to the boy's father's dismay, and we see his coming of age story as he figures out family, romantic relationships, and friendships. This feels very much like a passion project from the two actor-creatives behind the camera on this one, and I can feel the affection for the world and these characters. Our main protagonist in particular is a very normal teen despite being surrounded by very not normal teen things, and the most compelling parts are the ones where he has to figure out the same normal stuff that everybody does, like whether his family and friends are going to approve of the girl that he likes. I often find myself zoning out during crime films, but this one keeps it so personal that much of it works for me.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 A Bronx Tale (1993)

📊 Ranked #1718/4301 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 61

beat Source Code (#2169 → #2224)

lost to Tower (#1087 → #1095)

lost to The Age of Adaline (#1624 → #1574)

beat The Act of Killing (#1891 → #1922)

beat Born Yesterday (#1759 → #1778)

lost to Memoirs of a Geisha (#1689 → #1640)

beat Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (#1722 → #1753)

beat The Thin Man (#1705 → #1735)

beat A Star Is Born (#1697 → #1648)

beat Incendies (#1693 → #1723)

lost to Silent Movie (#1691 → #1534)

beat Hot Shots! (#1692 → #1719)