This movie about a young man's coming of age in the mafia-controlled Bronx in the 60s, set against the backdrop of the growing civil rights movement, has always been a particular favorite of mine. De Niro's directorial debut, it's kind of a less-flashy little brother to GoodFellas, and for my money, a similarly good movie, although the story is smaller and more personal. It likewise stars De Niro, albeit here as a good-guy working-class dad, and has a cameo from Joe Pesci once again in scary mobster mode. Original author Chazz Palmintieri plays a star turn as a coolly intimidating local boss who De Niro wishes his son would stay away from.
I've reluctantly got this under "Honorable Mention" instead of "Favorites", because, ok, it's not "Network" or "Deliverance". But, damn, it's a huge favorite of mine.
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