Cologero, which is an Italian name, is the main character of A Bronx Tale. He is also the movies narrator. The movie starts as his childhood years. He explains how his traditional Italian neighborhood was within the Bronx borough of New York City. Cologero was the only son of a hardworking mother and father. His father Lorenzo, played by Robert Deniro, had a city job as a bus driver for the transportation division of New York City, and he would always stress to his son Cologero how hard work and earning an honest living was the best way to pursuit life. He would always tell his son that “wasted talent is the saddest thing in life.”
Mobsters dwelled in Cologero’s neighborhood, but one mobster in particular named Sonny owned the neighborhood and he got all the respect. Nobody stepped on his toes. I mean nobody. Sonny was played by Chazz Palminteri.
One day as Cologero sat on the front stair entrance of his apartment building he witnessed Sonny murder a man in broad daylight. As a seven year old witness to a murder Cologero didn’t tell the cops who committed this crime because he admired Sonny, and a rat is the lowest thing you could be in his neighborhood. Sonny began to admire Cologero because he didn’t rat on him. He took him under wings and also gave him his nickname C.
10 years past by and as C grew Sonny also grew in power. Even though Sonny was a mobster he treated C like his own son, in which created problems between Sonny and Lorenzo his father. Sonny always stressed to C how his education was very important, and he told C that he was getting the best education. One education from the street and another education from school. So he would be twice as smart. C and his friends were in high-school now, so a little bit of hanging out and socializing was now an option granted by C’s parents.
Sonny loved C because he saved his life. He could have easily told the cops he witnessed a murder as a seven year old but he didn’t.
The reason I love this movie so much is because of the karma. Sonny lived a fast and easy life, but Lorenzo was a very hardworking man who took care of his family. C was just in between two role model figures. Sonny always thanked C for what he did for him.
One day C took a ride with his friends, who were all trouble makers. Sonny spotted them in the car and he made C get out. He told C’s friends to stay away from C because they were all trouble. C’s friends were blown up in flames in that same car that night. He never got a chance to thank Sonny, because as he approached Sonny he witnessed Sonny take a gunshot to the head. The guy who killed Sonny was the son of the man C witnessed Sonny kill 10 years prior.
A very ironic ending. C saved Sonny, Sonny thanked C. Sonny saved C, and he never got a chance to thank Sonny, but C witnessed everything. His father Lorenzo was right in the end. Hard work and honest living is better than being a mobster even though the mobster has more money.
