What Makes "A Bronx Tale" A Classic Gangster Movie?
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Zachary Mandell
May 10, 2013, 11:36:06 AM5/10/13
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Zachary Mandell
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Article Title: What Makes "A Bronx Tale" A Classic Gangster Movie?
Author: Zachary Mandell
Word Count: 807
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1835393&ca=Entertainment
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"A Bronx Tale" was quite the spectacle amongst gangster movie aficionados when it came out. It marked the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, who was no stranger to crime movies, so everyone was looking forward to seeing what a movie with him at the helm would look like. He also decided to cast himself in the good guy role, allowing Chazz Palminteri to take the role of the antagonist. The film itself was a departure from the normal mafia fare, because it centered on a young boy who actually wasn't a member of the mafia as he grew up in a hardscrabble neighborhood. Despite this, "A Bronx Tale" still has many elements to it that make it a true classic gangster movie and one of the best in its genre.
Huge Egos
A gangster film would not be the same without at least a few characters having huge egos. It is this ego that propels them forward and allows them to make the bloody power plays necessary for dominance in such a violent world. However, the problem with egos is that they can quickly cause problems if not kept in check, which is exactly what happens to more than one person in most mob movies.
In "A Bronx Tale," Sonny LoSpecchio (Palminteri) rules the neighborhood with an iron fist that is mostly relentless. He has few soft spots other than Calogero, a young boy who witnesses a mob hit but doesn't say anything to the police, gaining Sonny's trust. His ego blinds him to the danger of some of his actions, which is what ultimately leads to his inevitable downfall.
Brotherhood
In gangster films, the henchman all have a fairly strict code that they abide by which swears them to secrecy about their actions. They also put this brotherhood before everything else, treating each other like family. If one of their own goes down, the rest won't hesitate to find out who took down their brother and make him pay. When Calogero (who Sonny would later nickname "C") witnesses the murder at the beginning of the film, it is in retaliation for a previous beating that left Carmine (Joe Pesci) with some serious scars. When Sonny found out what had happened to Carmine, he didn't think twice about killing the man who beat him. This, along with his inflated ego, would lead to his death.
Violent Death
A mob movie without death is probably not really a mob movie at all. Many mob films show the downfall of the kingpin, and "A Bronx Tale" is no different. After years of ruling with an iron fist and calling for many hits, one would think that Sonny would be a little more careful about security. One evening, he enters a bar where a party is in full swing, only to find himself at the mercy of a gunman who would shoot him in the back of the head, ending his life. It's a violent end to a violent man, and it was a mix of his loyalty to the brotherhood and his ego that brought him down. His ego made him think he was invincible, and the gunman was the grown son of the man whom Sonny ordered to be killed at the very beginning of the movie. Had Sonny either had better security or let Carmine heal without finding his assailant, Sonny probably would have ruled the Bronx for quite a bit longer.
Taking Advice
Advice is in large supply in gangster films, especially when older hitmen concern themselves with the development of their eventual replacements. In the film "Donnie Brasco," low-level hitman Al Pacino takes newbie Johnny Depp under his wing and gives him enough advice to fill a book. In "The Godfather," Clemenza wisely advises Paulie to "Leave the gun; take the cannoli" when they are sent on a murderous detour while getting the cannolis that Paulie's wife asks him to bring home.
In "A Bronx Tale," Sonny gives C various pieces of advice over the years, but the most important advice is when he tells a young C that his friends are wannabe gangsters who will get him in trouble. He is absolutely correct, because the boys later get C involved in a racial skirmish that quickly escalates to include Molotov cocktails, serious injury, and death. C's father Lorenzo (De Niro) had been advising him all along to stay away from Sonny, to no avail. There is a lot of advice given to the impressionable young boy, most of which he doesn't follow, that puts him in some very bad situations. Not taking advice is a tried-and-true gangster trope that helps elevate "A Bronx Tale" from crime film to a gangster classic.
About The Author: As a long time fan of Hollywood I was able to carve out the perfect career in the entertainment industry by writing initially for celebrity news sites and am now the owner of http://MovieRoomReviews.com
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Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Zachary Mandell
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1835393
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1835393
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: What Makes "A Bronx Tale" A Classic Gangster Movie?
Author: Zachary Mandell
Word Count: 807
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1835393&ca=Entertainment
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1835393
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1835393
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
"A Bronx Tale" was quite the spectacle amongst gangster movie aficionados when it came out. It marked the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, who was no stranger to crime movies, so everyone was looking forward to seeing what a movie with him at the helm would look like. He also decided to cast himself in the good guy role, allowing Chazz Palminteri to take the role of the antagonist. The film itself was a departure from the normal mafia fare, because it centered on a young boy who actually wasn't a member of the mafia as he grew up in a hardscrabble neighborhood. Despite this, "A Bronx Tale" still has many elements to it that make it a true classic gangster movie and one of the best in its genre.
Huge Egos
A gangster film would not be the same without at least a few characters having huge egos. It is this ego that propels them forward and allows them to make the bloody power plays necessary for dominance in such a violent world. However, the problem with egos is that they can quickly cause problems if not kept in check, which is exactly what happens to more than one person in most mob movies.
In "A Bronx Tale," Sonny LoSpecchio (Palminteri) rules the neighborhood with an iron fist that is mostly relentless. He has few soft spots other than Calogero, a young boy who witnesses a mob hit but doesn't say anything to the police, gaining Sonny's trust. His ego blinds him to the danger of some of his actions, which is what ultimately leads to his inevitable downfall.
Brotherhood
In gangster films, the henchman all have a fairly strict code that they abide by which swears them to secrecy about their actions. They also put this brotherhood before everything else, treating each other like family. If one of their own goes down, the rest won't hesitate to find out who took down their brother and make him pay. When Calogero (who Sonny would later nickname "C") witnesses the murder at the beginning of the film, it is in retaliation for a previous beating that left Carmine (Joe Pesci) with some serious scars. When Sonny found out what had happened to Carmine, he didn't think twice about killing the man who beat him. This, along with his inflated ego, would lead to his death.
Violent Death
A mob movie without death is probably not really a mob movie at all. Many mob films show the downfall of the kingpin, and "A Bronx Tale" is no different. After years of ruling with an iron fist and calling for many hits, one would think that Sonny would be a little more careful about security. One evening, he enters a bar where a party is in full swing, only to find himself at the mercy of a gunman who would shoot him in the back of the head, ending his life. It's a violent end to a violent man, and it was a mix of his loyalty to the brotherhood and his ego that brought him down. His ego made him think he was invincible, and the gunman was the grown son of the man whom Sonny ordered to be killed at the very beginning of the movie. Had Sonny either had better security or let Carmine heal without finding his assailant, Sonny probably would have ruled the Bronx for quite a bit longer.
Taking Advice
Advice is in large supply in gangster films, especially when older hitmen concern themselves with the development of their eventual replacements. In the film "Donnie Brasco," low-level hitman Al Pacino takes newbie Johnny Depp under his wing and gives him enough advice to fill a book. In "The Godfather," Clemenza wisely advises Paulie to "Leave the gun; take the cannoli" when they are sent on a murderous detour while getting the cannolis that Paulie's wife asks him to bring home.
In "A Bronx Tale," Sonny gives C various pieces of advice over the years, but the most important advice is when he tells a young C that his friends are wannabe gangsters who will get him in trouble. He is absolutely correct, because the boys later get C involved in a racial skirmish that quickly escalates to include Molotov cocktails, serious injury, and death. C's father Lorenzo (De Niro) had been advising him all along to stay away from Sonny, to no avail. There is a lot of advice given to the impressionable young boy, most of which he doesn't follow, that puts him in some very bad situations. Not taking advice is a tried-and-true gangster trope that helps elevate "A Bronx Tale" from crime film to a gangster classic.
About The Author: As a long time fan of Hollywood I was able to carve out the perfect career in the entertainment industry by writing initially for celebrity news sites and am now the owner of http://MovieRoomReviews.com
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1835393
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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