A Bronx Tale - Plot

Plot

In 1960, Lorenzo Anello (Robert De Niro) is raising a family: he lives in the Bronx with his wife Rosina (Katherine Narducci, who appears in the first 45 minutes of the film) and his young son Calogero (Francis Capra), who takes a dangerous fascination with the local boss. One day Calogero witnesses a murder committed by the local Mafia boss, Sonny (Chazz Palminteri), in defense of an assaulted friend. When Calogero chooses to keep quiet when questioned by NYPD detectives, Sonny takes a liking to him and gives him the nickname "C". Sonny's men offer Lorenzo a job to make more money, but Lorenzo, preferring a law-abiding life, politely declines. Sonny, however, befriends Calogero and introduces him to his crew. Calogero earns tips amounting to 600 dollars working in the Mafia bar and throwing dice, and is admonished harshly by Lorenzo when he discovers it. Lorenzo speaks severely to Sonny, returns the money, and warns him to keep away from Calogero. Outside the bar, Lorenzo admonishes Calogero, who is unrepentant, and slaps him across the face. Calogero begins to tear up, and Lorenzo hugs him and apologizes, picking him up and carrying him home past the bar's front window, through which Sonny can be seen watching.

Eight years later, Calogero (now played by Lillo Brancato, Jr.) has grown into a young man and has secretly been visiting Sonny regularly without his father's knowledge. Calogero is also part of a gang of local Italian boys he grew up around, even though Sonny tries to persuade Calogero to keep away from them and focus more on his schoolwork. Later on, Calogero meets an African American girl from Webster Avenue named Jane Williams (Taral Hicks), and is smitten with her. Despite the high level of tension and dislike between Italians and Blacks, particularly amongst Calogero's friends, Calogero arranges a date with Jane. He asks for advice from both his father and Sonny, the latter who agrees to lend Calogero his car and tells him of a test to determine whether or not the date is a worthwhile prospect. Around the same time, Calogero's friends beat up black cyclists passing through their neighborhood; Calogero is powerless to stop them but does his best to defend a young man named Willie, who turns out to be Jane's brother. Willie, however, mistakes Calogero for one of the assailants and accuses him of beating him when Calogero and Jane meet for their date. In the ensuing argument, Calogero loses his temper at Willie's lack of gratitude and responds by addressing him rudely with a racial slur, but then instantly regrets it. Heartbroken, Jane and Willie walk back to the car and leaves Calogero.

At home, Calogero is confronted by his father, who saw him driving Sonny's car from the window. An argument ensues, and Calogero storms out. Suddenly, he is confronted by a furious Sonny and his crew, who found a bomb in Sonny's car and suspected Calogero of planning to assassinate him. Calogero swears his innocence again and again as Sonny treats him roughly and accuses him of lying even about the existence of Jane. Calogero breaks down, proclaiming his love and dedication to Sonny, whereupon Sonny recognizes Calogero's innocence and allows him to leave. Lorenzo, who saw the mobsters roughing Calogero, emerges to defend his son, but is held back by Sonny's men. The black men egg the Italian boys' usual spot in retaliation for the previous beating, and in revenge, Calogero's friends make a plan to strike back using molotov cocktails. They take an unwilling Calogero with them but during the ride, Sonny stops the car and orders Calogero out. Calogero catches up with Jane, who tells him that Willie had since admitted that the boy who beat him up wasn't Calogero, but that Willie was angry and tried to hurt Calogero (because of his affiliation with the Italians) by lying about him. Jane and Calogero make amends, but Calogero suddenly remembers his friends' plans to assault Jane's neighborhood, and the two rush to stop them. However, upon arriving, Calogero and Jane see the boys' car destroyed. During the assault, someone had thrown one of the molotov cocktails back into their car through the window, igniting the remaining bottles, causing a crash and explosion and killing all of Calogero's friends.

Calogero rushes to the bar to thank Sonny for saving his life, but the bar is crowded, and an unnamed assassin (the son of the man who Sonny killed in the beginning of the film) shoots Sonny in the back of the head before Calogero can warn him. A funeral is then held for Sonny, where countless people come to pay their respects. Once they are all gone, a lone man named Carmine (Joe Pesci) visits, claiming that Sonny once saved his life as well. Calogero does not appear to know Carmine, but remembers him when he sees a scar on his forehead: the day Sonny had committed that murder outside Calogero's home when Calogero was little, it had been in defense of Carmine, who was being beaten by the assailant with a baseball bat. Carmine tells Calogero that he will be taking care of the neighborhood for the time being and promises him help should he ever need anything, and leaves just as his father arrives, surprisingly, to pay his respects to Sonny, and thank him for saving his son: he says that he had never hated Sonny, but merely resented him for making Calogero grow up so quickly. Calogero makes peace with his father, and the two walk home as Calogero narrating about the life lessons he learned from the two men.