MEAN STREETS (1973) - Movie Review

Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, David Proval, Amy Robinson, Richard Romanus, Victor Argo
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Writer: Martin Scorsese, Mardik Martin
Runtime: 112 min
Rated: R
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Synopsis:

Two-time Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro ("GoodFellas," "The Godfather, Part II") stars in Martin Scorsese's ("Raging Bull," "The Age of Innocence") drama of young men coming to manhood by the code of New York's Little Italy. A harrowing, intense, and grueling dramatic experience -- brilliantly acted and directed. Also starring Academy Award-nominee Harvey Keitel ("Pulp Fiction," "The Piano") and future producer Amy Robinson ("After Hours," "Running on Empty"). Inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry. Recently selected by the prestigious American Film Institute as one of the 400 greatest American films of all time.

Review:

"Who's That Knocking at My Door" in 1968 and "Boxcar Bertha" in 1972 were Martin Scorsese's first feature films, but it wasn't until 1973's "Mean Streets" that the Oscar-winning director found his voice and revolutionized American cinema. The film deals with themes closer to Scorsese's own experiences in New York, following Harvey Keitel's Charlie Cappa as he struggles to balance love, friendship, religion and the hustle on the mean streets of the Big Apple. The movie was the first collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro, and was followed by nine other features and a short. It was also the director's first major critical and commercial hit.

The first thing you need to know going in is that the movie doesn't follow a traditional narrative structure, and there isn't much of a plot. What the movie does is paint an authentic image of Little Italy in the 1970s through complex memorable characters and immersive details. It's mostly a series of vignettes tied together by Charlie's inner turmoil, which includes reconciling his work for the mob with his upbringing as a Catholic, conflicting feelings about the women he feels attracted to, and the increasingly dangerous loyalty to his unhinged best friend Johnny Boy, played by an electrifying Robert De Niro.

The performances are incredible. Keitel has considerable screen presence, perfectly channeling the boisterous street-wise charisma that the character exudes on the surface, while underneath we can see the flawed and weak human being that he really is. De Niro, on the other hand is the scene-stealer, with a loud, anarchic performance that dominates every second he's on the screen. Amy Robinson plays a smaller part, but she does get some great scenes as Teresa, Charlie's epileptic girlfriend who his family considers unsuitable for him. She's also Johnny's cousin, which perfectly rounds out a dysfunctional trifecta of characters.

The eclectic soundtrack, distinctive lighting and color schemes, and frantic camerawork, all trademarks of Scorsese's filmmaker style, can be found here in their early stages of evolution. While it's not a perfect film, it's a deceptively simple one that hides essays-worth of layers loaded with profound emotional depth, and it stands relevant in cinema history as the impressive coming-of-age project of a talented young maverick filmmaker (he was only 30) that would lead to a prolific career.

SCORE: 8/10