A Bronx Tale

A Bronx Tale has quietly become one of the more dependable crime dramas currently available in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on Philo and AMC Plus Apple TV Channel . The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 2,917 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Robert De Niro sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

There is a reason A Bronx Tale keeps coming up in conversation. The plotting gives A Bronx Tale its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. Set in the Bronx during the tumultuous 1960s, an adolescent boy is torn between his honest, working-class father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss. Complicating matters is the youngster's growing attraction - forbidden in his neighborhood - for a beautiful black girl. Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri lead a cast that gives the tension real weight. A Bronx Tale came out in 1993. What makes A Bronx Tale hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in A Bronx Tale. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Robert De Niro anchors it, but the writing does the real work. If you are going to commit to one crime drama this month, make it this one.