GANGSTER REVISITED: A BRONX TALE, CARLITO'S WAY
In the 1970's, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino were two of the most biggest and most well-respected stars, and though they appeared in more varied roles than given credit for, they're both associated with gangster pictures - both in GODFATHER II, with Pacino in GODFATHER I and De Niro in MEAN STREETS. In 1993, they both returned to the genre, De Niro in A BRONX TALE, which he also directed, and Pacino in De Palma's CARLITO'S WAY. Surprisingly, both of them worked.
A BRONX TALE marked De Niro's directorial debut, but rather than dominate it with his personality, it's dominated by two other people. One is his mentor, Martin Scorsese, who's told similar tales, of course. The other is Chazz Palminteri, who not only co-stars, but wrote the script (and one-man play it's based on) from an incident that happened in his life. The result may not be memorable, but it's a fine piece of work.
In 1960 in the Bronx, Calogero (Francis Capra) lives with his parents Lorenzo (De Niro) and Rosina (Katherine Narducci). Though Lorenzo is a bus driver, he still makes enough so he and his son can go see the Yankees play from time to time, since Calogero idolizes Mickey Mantle. Everything changes one day, however, when Sonny (Palminteri), a local gangster, shoots a man over a parking space, and Calogero sees him do it. But when the police come by, Calogero, obeying the code of the neighborhood, keeps his mouth shut. Lorenzo, a moral man, of course disapproves of Sonny and his ilk, but respects the fact that his son would be put on the spot if he told the truth. What dismays him, however, is when Sonny, in gratitude, starts taking Calogero under his wing. He pays him money, gives him a nickname ("C"), and even discourages his interest in baseball ("You think Mickey Mantle cares about you?")
If you saw GOODFELLAS, which De Niro the director borrows from, you might think you know what's coming, but you'd be wrong. True, Sonny and Lorenzo are opposed to each other, but the one thing they have in common is C, and they do their best to make sure he grows up right. And so we cut to 1968, where C (now played by Lilo Brancato) is in high school, and he's attracted to Jane (Taral Hicks), a classmate, who happens to be black. This is a fact he tries to hide from his friends, but he does bring it up with Lorenzo and Sonny, and here again, the movie surprises. While Lorenzo considers himself a moral man, he's uncomfortable with interracial dating; he wouldn't consider himself racist, but he thinks people should stick to their own kind. Sonny, on the other hand, thinks about it in other ways; it doesn't matter what race, color, or creed they are, if a girl doesn't open the doorknob for you after you let her into the car, she's not worth it.
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