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is a 1993 film set in New York City during the turbulent era of the 1960s. It was the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, and follows a young man as his path in life is guided by two father figures, played by De Niro and Chazz Palminteri. It also includes a brief appearance by Joe Pesci.
tells the story of Calogero Anello, a young boy from a working class family who gets involved in the world of organized crime. Calogero's father is a bus driver who tries to instill working class family values in his son. As Calogero gets older, the aura and mystique of the Mafia, and the charms of Sonny, the local mob boss who befriends Calogero, become difficult to resist. As Calogero comes of age, he must struggle with the choice of following his beloved father's values or submitting to the temptations of the life of organized crime.
premiered in Los Angeles in 1990, achieving great critical success. Palminteri, then moved the show to New York City, where it had a critically and commercially successful, four month off-Broadway run. Palminteri adapted the screenplay from his one-man show of the same name. The show had successful runs in Los Angeles and Off-Broadway. Palminteri would not sell the rights to his story unless he could write the screenplay and was guaranteed the role of Sonny. At one point he was offered one million dollars, but refused because his conditions were not met. Later, De Niro saw the show and approached Palminteri. He said he knew about Palminteri refusing to sell the rights. For the rights he told Palminteri he would act in the movie and meet Palminteri's conditions if he could direct. De Niro said he was good to his word with only a handshake from Palminteri.
The movie opens in 1960 with Lorenzo Anello's (Robert De Niro) son Calogero (Francis Capra) witnessing a murder committed by the local Mafia boss, Sonny (Chazz Palminteri). When Calogero chooses to keep quiet when questioned by police officers, Sonny takes a liking to him. Calogero starts visiting Sonny and his posse almost every day in the bar downstairs, much to the dismay of his father, a hard-working bus driver struggling to make ends meet. Eight years later, in 1968, Calogero has grown into a young man. He will eventually have to make the choice between his two mentors. He also pursues an interracial relationship with a Black girl named Jane Williams (Taral Hicks), and he has to cope with this while being in the company of racist friends who coincidentally attack the girl's brother and his friends, and who later plan to raid a Black neighborhood.
loses some of its narrative momentum after a confrontation between Sonny and Lorenzo. The second half of the show, in which the hero discovers the charms of the female sex, and the limits of his fathers uprightness, is more scattered and less compelling, although Palminteri and his director, the veteran Jerry Zaks, never allow the energy level to flag for long, thus continually engrossing his audience in the tale which brings forth the real self of life.
The film contains several violent scenes, including a savage beating of a biker gang by the Mafia, and Calogero's friends' tragically botched incursion into the Black neighborhood.
The film had got the adult viewing ratings as it contains several violent scenes, which include and insane beating of a biker gang by the Mafia, and Calogero's friends' tragically botched incursion into the Black neighborhood. The film was shot in three of the different New York City neighborhoods. The story of the film was about borough, but only one scene was shot in the actual place of Bronx. Palminteri had adapted the screenplay from his one-man show of the same name. The show was quite popular in Los Angeles and Off-Broadway. Palminteri was focused on not selling the rights of his story, unless the producers would select him as the screenplay writer and a guarantee, to have the role of Sonny. There was a time, when he was offered one million dollars, but refused because his conditions were not met. It was after sometime that, De Niro saw the show and approached Palminteri himself. He had made it clear to the writer about the role of Sonny in the movie, and he told Palminteri he would act in the movie and meet Palminteri's conditions if he could direct. De Niro said he was good to his word with only a handshake from Palminteri.
In fact Palminteri was so much touchy with the script and the whole matter, as the character of Calogero was based on himself. It is interesting to know, that was premiered in Los Angeles in 1990, and it had received rave reviews and commercial success too. It was during one of such performances that, the Academy Award winning actor Robert De Niro, saw the play and was fascinated so much as to buy the rights of it for the film. It is worth mentioning that Palminteri had decided to re-launch his one man show in the year of 2007 and had made a contract with Broadway.
