A Bronx Tale Quotes

Lorenzo: [about C] The other night he tried to throw away his baseball cards because he said Mickey Mantle would never pay our rent.

Sonny: [laughs] He said that to you? I can't believe that kid.

[They all start laughing]

Lorenzo: That's not funny. Not when your kid has a bigger bank account than you do.

Sonny: What's your name, kid?

Calogero 'C' Anello: Calogero.

Sonny: That's a long name. Don't you have a nickname?

Calogero 'C' Anello: No.

Sonny: What do your friends call you?

Calogero 'C' Anello: Calogero.

Sonny: That makes sense.

Priest: Don't be afraid, my son. No one is more powerful than God.

Calogero 'C' Anello: I don't know about that, father. Your guy may be bigger than my guy up there, but my guy is bigger than your guy down here.

Priest: Ya got a point.

Sonny: Alright, listen to me. You pull up right where she lives, right? Before you get outta the car, you lock both doors. Then, get outta the car, you walk over to her. You bring her over to the car. Dig out the key, put it in the lock and open the door for her. Then you let her get in. Then you close the door. Then you walk around the back of the car and look through the rear window. If she doesn't reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in: dump her.

Calogero 'C' Anello: Just like that?

Sonny: Listen to me, kid. If she doesn't reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in, that means she's a selfish broad and all you're seeing is the tip of the iceberg. You dump her and you dump her fast.

[after Sonny just allows unwanted bikers to drink in his bar]

Satan's Messengers: You got some brews down here. Nice cold ones. Get us some nice cold brews, come on. Two over here, huh? One more here, one more.

[Sonny takes Calogero outside and talks to him]

Satan's Messengers: Alright, brothers. If I may. A toast to our host.

[They all salute]

Satan's Messengers: [as they shake their drinks and spray them all over the bar] In the name of the father, the son and the holy ghost!

[Sonny gets angered by this and confronts them again]

Tony Toupee: Look at all the shit all over me.

[the bikers curse at him]

Sonny: Hey!

Satan's Messengers: Oh, you again.

Sonny: That wasn't very nice. Now youse gotta leave.

Satan's Messengers: I'll tell you when the fuck we leave alright. Get the fuck away from me.

Satan's Messengers: [the bikers laugh at Sonny as he walks to the door] Go watch the bikes eh!

[Sonny locks the front door. All the bikers look and curse at him]

Sonny: Now youse can't leave.

Calogero 'C' Anello: [narrating] "I will never forget the look on their faces. All eight of them. Their faces dropped. All their courage and strength was drained right from their bodies. They had reputation for breaking up bars, but they knew that instant, they'd made a fatal mistake. This time they walked into the wrong bar."

[a fight ensues between the bikers and Sonny's gang]

[Anello family eats steak once a week]

Calogero 'C' Anello: I'm not in the mood for steak.

Angry Black Neighbor #1: [looking at C's burned friends] They started out as white bread now they toast.

Angry Black Neighbor #2: [to C] THEY LOOK BETTER NOW, DON'T THEY LOOK BETTER!

Lorenzo: You stay away from that bar. You don't see me going to the bar do you ?

Calogero 'C' Anello: You mean Mom wont let you go either?

Lorenzo: What am I gonna do with this kid ?

Sonny: You borrow my car. And then you give her the test.

Calogero 'C' Anello: What? The Mario test?

Sonny: Mario? Mario's a fucking psycho.

[a biker gang called The Satan's Messengers enters Sonny's bar wearing their biker clothes]

Jimmy Whispers: Fellas, youse are not dressed properly. Youse gonna have to leave.

Satan's Messengers: Properly? What's wrong with the way we're dressed?

Sonny: Jimmy! What's up?

Jimmy Whispers: These gentleman ain't dressed right, and I asked them to leave.

Sonny: [confronting them] Is there a problem here?

Satan's Messengers: Nah, the problem is your man here says we're not properly dressed. Like our money ain't green. We just want a couple of beers.

Sonny: A few beers, that's it?

Satan's Messengers: That's it. We'll be on our way. We ain't looking for trouble.

Sonny: Spoken like a gentleman. Give em the beers. Go ahead.

Satan's Messengers: Thanks, appreciate it.

[Sonny whispers to Jimmy to go in the back room and prepare the guys]

Lorenzo: [Coming to Calogero's defense against the angry gangsters] Calogero! Calogero!

[to Sonny]

Lorenzo: What happened to my son?

Sonny: Drive your bus and get the fuck out of here!

Lorenzo: I'll get my fucking bus!

[Tries to hit Sonny, but the gangsters grab him]

Lorenzo: You put your hands on me, I'll stick you in the fucking ground!

[the gangsters punch Lorenzo in the stomach and knock him down]

Sonny: Next time find out what's going on before you open your mouth.

Sonny: First of all, I respect you, Lorenzo, you're a stand-up guy and we're from the same neighbourhood, but don't ever talk to me like that again. I tell yor kid to go to school, to go to college...

Lorenzo: You don't understand: it's not what you say, it's what he sees, the clothes, the cars, the money, it's everything. He tried to throw away his baseball cards because he said Mickey Mantle will never pay the rent.

Sonny: [laughs] He said that to you? I don't believe this kid.

[They all laugh]

Lorenzo: That's not funny. Not when your kid has a bigger bank account than you.

Sonny: I offered you a job, you said "No" to me.

Lorenzo: That's right, and I say "No" now. Just leave my son alone, please.

Sonny: Hey!

[Stands up]

Sonny: Don't you see how I treat that kid? I treat him like he's my son.

Lorenzo: He ain't your son, he's MY son.

Sonny: He's what?

Lorenzo: He's MY son!

Sonny: Hey, get the fuck outta here!

Lorenzo: [Shoved by the gangsters towards the door] I'm not afraid of you.

Sonny: You should be.

Lorenzo: I know who you are, Sonny, I know what you're capable of, and I would never step out of line, you can ask anyone in the neighbourhood who knows me. But this time, you're wrong. You don't fool with a man's family. This is my son, not yours.

Sonny: What are you gonna do, fight me?

Lorenzo: You stay away from my son!

Sonny: Get outta here before I give you a fucking slap!

Lorenzo: You just stay away from my son!

Sonny: Go ahead!

Lorenzo: I don't care who you are! You stay away from my son!

[the gangsters force him out of the bar]

Calogero 'C' Anello: Mommy! Mommy! Look what I got! Some peaches... for... free.

[he sees his parents about to confront him]

Lorenzo: [showing C the wad of cash] What's this?

Calogero 'C' Anello: What's what, Dad?

Lorenzo: Where'd you get this? Your mother found it behind your drawer.

Calogero 'C' Anello: It's my savings, Dad.

Lorenzo: 600 dollars you've been saving? What'd you do, become a brain surgeon overnight, son?

Rosina Anello: Tell your father where you got the money!

Calogero 'C' Anello: I worked for it.

Lorenzo: Doin' what?

Calogero 'C' Anello: Things.

Lorenzo: Things? Whadaya mean 'things'? What things?

Calogero 'C' Anello: Things. Y'know, things.

Lorenzo: Don't lie to me. Just tell the truth and I won't get upset.

Calogero 'C' Anello: Promise?

Lorenzo: I'm your father. Would I say it if I didn't mean it?

Calogero 'C' Anello: I worked the crap games and the guys gave me tips.

Rosina Anello: Crap games?

Lorenzo: Crap games? What crap games?

[C looks down]

Lorenzo: What crap games? What tips?

[still no answer]

Lorenzo: WHAT CRAP GAMES?

Calogero 'C' Anello: I thought you weren't gonna get upset, Dad.

Lorenzo: I lied! Now tell me everything!

Calogero 'C' Anello: I told you. I worked for Sonny and the guys gave me tips.

Lorenzo: I knew it!

Rosina Anello: Didn't we tell ya a thousand times not to go near that bar?

[a few blacks cross the road on bicycles]

Slick: What the fuck, man? What the fuck? These fuckin' spooks just came out of nowhere!

Calogero 'C' Anello: Why don't you just leave em alone?

Slick: What the fuck is it with you and these niggers lately?

Calogero 'C' Anello: They ain't bothering nobody.

Slick: They're FUCKIN' bothering me!

Calogero 'C' Anello: They ain't bothering me.

Sonny: There's only three things you can do in the joint, kid: lift weights, play cards, or get in trouble.

Calogero 'C' Anello: What did you do?

Sonny: Me, I read.

Lorenzo: [hears knocking on the door] Who is it?

Detective Belsik: POLICE. Is this the Anello residence?

Lorenzo: Yeah, could I help ya?

Detective Belsik: Look, we're detectives. We'd like to ask you some questions.

Lorenzo: About what?

Detective Belsik: Just open the door!

Detective Belsik: [walks into the Lorenzos'] I'm Detective Belsik.

[points to Vella]

Detective Belsik: This is my partner Detective Vella.

Detective Belsik: [to Calogero] Hello, son.

[to Mrs. Anello]

Detective Belsik: How ya doin' ma'am?

Detective Belsik: [turns to Lorenzo] We'd like to ask your son a few question.

Lorenzo: About what?

Detective Belsik: There was a shooting in front of the building a little while ago and we believe your son was there.

Lorenzo: Really? Well, he don't know nothin' about that.

Detective Belsik: Well, we feel he DOES. There were people who saw him.

Lorenzo: Well, they're WRONG. He don't know nothin'.

Detective Belsik: Listen, Mr. Anello, we could do things the nice way or we could do things the hard way. Alright? We could go down to headquarters...

Lorenzo: I don't care what way you do it! He don't know nothin'!

Calogero 'C' Anello: Daddy, I know everything.

Lorenzo: Kids, ya know, sometimes they make believe they see things.

Detective Vella: We didn't pick your name out of a hat. We know your son was down there. So, come on, let's go.

Detective Belsik: [to Calogero] Son, listen. Here's what I'd like you to do for us. I'd like you to take a walk downstairs with us. And your father. We have some people down there. All I want you to do is pick out the person you saw with the gun in his hand. *That's* *it*. Do you think you could do that for us?

Calogero 'C' Anello: [thinks about it, looks at his father] Yeah.

Lorenzo: [after Calogero looks at a whole lineup and doesn't identify the shooter] You satisfied, officer?

Detective Vella: No, I'm not satisfied.

Lorenzo: He don't know. He can't help you.

Detective Vella: [cynically] Yeah, yeah, I know. Your son doesn't know anything. I know all about it.

Lorenzo: He said no. He can't help you.

Detective Vella: [annoyed] I'll tell ya what, take a walk. G'head. G'head.

Calogero 'C' Anello: Sonny was right. The working man IS a sucker, dad. He's a sucker.

Lorenzo: He's wrong! It don't take much strength to pull a trigger, but try and get up every morning, day after day and work for a livin'! Let's see him try that! Then we'll see who's the REAL tough guy! The working man's the tough guy! Your father's the tough guy!

Sonny: You like this girl?

Calogero 'C' Anello: I do, but I don't want to hear all the guys. I don't want to hear all their mouths...

Sonny: F those kids. Half of them are going to end up dead or in jail anyway. Nobody cares.

Calogero 'C' Anello: He owes me 20 dollars. It's been two weeks now, and every time he sees me he keeps dodging me. He's becoming a real pain in the ass. Should I crack him one, or what?

Sonny: Sometimes hurting somebody ain't the answer. First of all, is he a good friend of yours?

Calogero 'C' Anello: No, I don't even like him.

Sonny: You don't even like him. There's your answer right there. Look at it this way: It costs you 20 dollars to get rid of him... He's out of your life for 20 dollars. You got off cheap. Forget him.