Bronx by Robert De Niro (1993)
Calogero is nine years old and lives in the Bronx with his father, an honest worker, and his mother.
One day he witnesses a murder and gives false testimony to the police to protect a mafia boss.
From that moment on, his life will change forever.
Quote.
“𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦”
(𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨)
“𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳?”
“𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳: 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦”
(𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐲 & 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨)
𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐗 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄.
Who is the fool?
The one who wakes up early in the morning and works all day to support his family, or the one who holds the gun and gets respect by instilling fear in those around him?
For Calogero, the doubt clings to his mind throughout his growing years, and the neighborhood he lives in certainly doesn’t help clarify his thoughts.
As a child, he observes and imitates Sonny, regarded as a kind of God in the Bronx, and hopes every day that he might notice him or even just return his gaze.
Because the allure of the underworld is strong, and the privileges seem endless. Calogero does everything to get closer to the boss, even repeatedly violating the first rule his parents have always imposed: stay away from the bar 𝙲𝙷𝙴𝚉 𝙱𝙸𝙿𝙿𝚈, the true headquarters of Sonny and his crew.
Then Calogero grows up and becomes a teenager, but the neighborhood and the rhythms of his life remain the same, just as the adoration for that powerful and fascinating man who quotes Machiavelli and walks around like a king stays unchanged.
However, in our young protagonist’s life, there is also another important figure: his father Lorenzo, an honest and loving man whom one cannot help but care for.
A man who tries with all his might to guide him on the right path during his formative years, teaching him the right values and warning him about the dangers he might face by following bad role models.
Lorenzo and Sonny: both want the best for Calogero, even if in diametrically opposite ways; both are essential figures in his life.
Considerations.
De Niro brings to the screen a screenplay that Chazz Palminteri wrote based on his theatrical monologue.
He dedicates this first directorial effort to his father and hints at a strong emotional connection to the events narrated and the places described. Perhaps there really is a piece of the director’s life within this world, partly evidenced by the incredible resemblance between the actors chosen to play the young Calogero and De Niro himself.
The world is that of the so-called ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ɪᴛᴀʟʏ, a neighborhood where Italian-Americans who have just arrived in the States live, with their vices and virtues, amidst violence and poverty.
A nostalgic film, at times moving, recommended for everyone, even for those who do not love the genre, enriched by a cameo from Joe Pesci.
A divinely written film that manages to highlight all those nuances present in everyone’s life, all that range of colors that lies between black and white, between good and evil.
A must-see.
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