A Bronx Tale (Film) Essay, Research Paper

“A Bronx Tale” is a film directed by Robert Di Nero about a boy named Cologero (an Italian white male) and his life as he grows up in a town occupied by the mob. Colegero had two strong adult influences in his life. They were his father, Lorenzo, and a mob leader named Sonny. In the film there were a three scenes that especially demonstrated the influence Sonny and Lorenzo had on Cologero. An example of Lorenzo’s influence on his son takes place in front of their apartment in which Cologero is a witness to a crime Sonny committed. An example of Sonny’s influence on Cologero is when Sonny demeans Mickey Mantle in front of him. This then causes Cologero to have negative feelings about Mickey Mantle someone he has idolized his whole life. Another scene that shows Sonny’s influence on Cologero is when Cologero takes Sonny’s advice to go out with a black woman from his school, even though his father doesn’t agree with inter-racial relationships. This specific event perhaps shows that Sonny had more of an impact on Cologero than Lorenzo did. Early in Cologero’s childhood, around the age of ten years, he witnessed the shooting of a man over a parking space by Sonny (a powerful mob leader who Cologero admired).Cologero’s father, Lorenzo wanted nothing to do with Sonny or the mob. As a result, when the police detectives questioned Cologero about the murder, Lorenzo insisted his son knew nothing of it.This led Cologero to believe that his father didn’t want him to tell the truth. The detectives took Cologero outside to point out the murderer and Cologero denied that any of them were at the scene of the crime.Sonny then befriended Cologero and gave him the nickname “C”.This shows that Cologero’s father influenced him to lie to the police because Lorenzo led his son to believe he didn’t want him to tell the truth and Cologero did not.One day while Sonny was talking with “C”, who was still approaching adolescence, he said something that affected “C” and perhaps hurt his feelings in a major way. Sonny explained to Cologero that his baseball hero, Mickey Mantle, didn’t care about him or anyone else. Sonny told “C” that Mickey Mantle made over 200, 000 dollars a year and would never pay his rent or do anything for him. This angered “C” and as a result he went home and made an attempt to destroy all of his baseball cards. This scene shows Sonny’s influence on “C” because even though Lorenzo told “C” what Sonny told him was untrue it changed the way “C’ viewed life and implied that he not trust anyone. As the years went by Sonny and “C” grew closer and “C” became more involved in the mob. One day, while in a car with Sonny, “C” asked Sonny for advice about dating a black girl named Jane Williams. Sonny told “C” that if his feelings were strong enough for Jane, he should follow his heart. Sonny also told “C” that no one cares about what other people do and he should always do what’s best for him. When “C” consulted his father about Jane, his father told him that he believed people should always marry others of the same race. Despite what his father told him “C” decided to take Sonny’s advice and go out with Jane. In this scene, Sonny showed his influence on “C” because “C” decided to go out with Jane even though she was not of the same race as him. Although Lorenzo and Sonny both encouraged “C” in different ways, I think Sonny had the greatest influence on him. “C” showed this when he took Sonny’s advice about dating Jane Williams, a black girl even though his father seemed to disapprove. This is evidence that the influence of Sonny took priority over his father’s wishes.This was a moving film about a boy named Cologero and his life choices. Throughout the story he is faced with many choices he has to make based on the advice given to him by Sonny or/and his father, Lorenzo. Lorenzo is his real father but many times in the story he mentions that he considers Sonny to be like a father to him also. As a result, in more than a few situations he chooses to follow Sonny’s advice over Lorenzo’s. “C” grew up following the mob and eventually learned one important lesson. He learned that all the choices made throughout a person’s life, would affect that person’s life forever.