Robert De Niro’s Forgotten Crime Drama Is in Fact Better Than Goodfellas
Let’s do this movie gem justice!
It’s been 24 years since the world saw the success of Martin Scorcese’s hit movie that is now considered timeless. Following the story of the mafia’s associate Henry Hill and his close people, 1990’s Goodfellas literally paved the way for all modern crime dramas.
However, few fans of this masterpiece know that there is a 90s must-see movie of the same kind that is not inferior to it at all and can even beat Scorcese’s film. Moreover, it also stars Robert De Niro at his peak and pays homage to the genre’s classics.
The plot of 1993’s film revolves around Calogero, an Italian-American teenager who is taken under the wing of the local mobster Sonny. The latter initiates the boy into the gang’s ways of proving themselves, and this world seems tempting for Calogero.
On the other hand, the boy faces control of his hardworking father (played by De Niro) and, besides, the consequences of him falling for his African-American classmate.
This premise offers deep reflections on such socially painful issues as coming of age, getting involved in criminal activities, and racial tensions. The movie speaks about all these topics from different angles and does it all with a lot of heart that was put in it.
This crime film is reminiscent of Goodfellas, indeed, as it also establishes a sympathetic basis for how young people come to associate with criminals. However, it gives more space for analysis and much more honest representations of its real-life archetypes.
It may come as a surprise, but this flick was made by De Niro himself in his directorial debut, adapted from Chazz Palminteri's 1989 play. Even though it was overshadowed by Goodfellas and Godfather’s legacy, the film turned out to be impressively successful.
Titled A Bronx Tale, it is still hailed by Reddit.
“I really like how this movie portrays societal issues while at the same time telling a sweet story of a criminal boss raising a boy as his own, with a nice love story sprinkled in there,” says @NormalGuy1066.
If you’re in awe of Goodfellas and enjoy crime dramas overall, you’re definitely missing out on De Niro’s underrated gem. Check out A Bronx Tale, as it’s available on Prime.