Rating: 
Summary: One Of The Greatest Movies Of The 1970s
Review: I am a longtime fan of both Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. Scorsese's "Mean Streets" is one of my alltime favorite crime movies.Charlie(Harvey Keitel) is an up-and-coming hood in New York City's Little Italy. Charlie wants to save his half-wit best friend, Johnny Boy(Robert DeNiro), who is in deep debt to a loan shark. The ultimate result is tragedy. Scorsese's "Mean Streets" is one of the greatest movies of the 1970s. "Mean Streets" was the first collaboration between DeNiro and Scorsese and also the film that brought both of them to national prominence. The story primarily focuses on Keitel's character, so I don't understand why DeNiro received top billing. The great performances by DeNiro and Keitel gave a hint to the stardom that would later be achieved by these two performers. Robert DeNiro may be the very last of the great movie actors. He is the ONLY present day actor who comes close to matching Marlon Brando for sheer talent and charisma. DeNiro completely immerses himself into the role of Johnny Boy. Scorsese also weaves strong themes of religion and redemption into his film. All of Scorsese's films are marked by intense realism. The low budget-"Mean Streets" has a strong grittiness that is sorely lacking in even Francis Ford Coppola's "Godfather" masterpieces. I have already seen this movie six times and can stand to see it several times more. Well-recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Believe the Naysayers - A True Classic
Review: Contrary to what many reviewers may say, this is one of Scorsese's greatest films. Along with Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Raging Bull, it best showcases his unique and original style of directing that has made him one of the most skillful in the business. It's an indie film classic, and creates an atmosphere and aesthetic that filmmakers have been trying to emulate ever since its release. That being said, it's just the sort of production that mainstream moviewatchers probably won't get. Those looking only for a predictable, clear-cut plot with a conventional style of storytelling and acting will be lost and frustrated with the improvisational nature of this movie. Taxi Driver and Goodfellas (equally as good as Mean Streets) were both hits at the box office, because they appeal more to the masses with their general entertainment value. Mean Streets, on the other hand, tells a somewhat dark, meandering story that at times may seem like it's going nowhere.
Martin Scorsese was able to create an intimate, realistic setting for his movie by encouraging actors to improvise certain scenes, and shooting long takes that make for flowing, realistically punctuated dialogue. Newer filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino have been heavily influenced by Scorsese's off-the-cuff manner of directing. Not every scene in Mean Streets makes immediate sense, because he often captures tidbits of the characters' lives that don't seem like they logically pertain to the plot. However, the plot itself in this movie is a nebulous entity, taking a back seat to the realistic dialogue and more pronounced themes of religion, friendship, and crime. There is a fair dose of black humor in this film, but it is ultimately more of a drama, due to the movie's dark ending, and emphasis on internal conflict with the characters, especially Harvey Keitel's excellently portrayed Charlie.
Another feat that Scorsese is accredited for in the direction of this movie is bringing two little-known actors to the forefront of Hollywood fame. The two main stars of the movie, Harvey Keitel and Robert DeNiro, now obvious household names, were nigh-unheard of talents prior to the release of this movie. Ever since Mean Streets, they slowly grew more and more famous, due in large part to their repeated roles in Martin Scorsese's future film classics (The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver). Scorsese can be given partial credit for bringing the actors' talents out for his films, but it should be noted that Keitel and DeNiro both deliver amazing performances in Mean Streets, not to mention their other Scorsese movies. Keitel's portrayel of Charlie's conflicted, devout Catholic gangster is spot-on, and DeNiro's Johnny Boy is amusing, fascinating and appropriately demands the viewer's empathy. Both stars help to raise this movie to its classic status.
Though not as easy or accessible as Scorsese's later work, Mean Steets established him as a creative, noir-influenced filmmaker with a deft eye for realism and intimacy. His movies are habitually more difficult than most mainstream fare, and may require repeat viewings to be truly appreciated. Mean Streets has a good chance of going straight over many viewer's heads, especially if they have had little experience with the art of independent film. Nevertheless, everyone who appreciates cinema should at least give Mean Streets a try, but it is a blatant fact that not everyone will enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for me...maybe not for you
Review: I remember taking a date to see Goodfellas when it came out in 1990 or 1991. When we left the theater I turned to my date & said "it kind of reminds me of my family". My date looked a little stunned and I had to expalin:, "well-you know--without the guns, the drugs and the killing. but the director got the attitudes just about right."
Goodfellas got me interested in Scorsese, but it took me another 6 months to see "Mean Streets".
If anything, the feeling of "it kind of reminds me of my family" became even stronger--again without the drugs, the murder and the guns, but until "Mean Streets" I'd never seen a movie where I felt like I knew everyone in the movie. It was intensely personal.
There's a lot of quasi-snobby stuff written about how Mean Streets is a classic movie. People also say citizen kane is one of the greatest films ever. I've seen CK a couple of times and I think it's a pretty good film. I liked the story & I liked how it was filmed. But I probably fail to appreciate CK's greatness because i take a lot of its groundbreaking film-making for granted.
Mean Streets might make you feel this way, too. There isn't much in the way of a standard plot in the movie. People lounge about, get in barroom brawls for dumb reasons. People argue about debts, about right and wrong, and yeah, a couple of people get shot.
But if you're going to love the movie, you're either going to have to appreciate the fancy breakthrough cinematography or you're going to have to be the type of person who appreciates watching great actors and great characters go about their business, living their lives, like we all might have done in the early 1970s.
That being said, I think the "mook" scene is one of the best movie scenes-ever.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as bad as some movies, but rather quirky...
Review: This is a rather strange gangster movie. Today, when someone mentions gangster movies, what images pop up in your head? Murder, betrayal, and drugs. The usual, right? This movie doesn't contain a lot of that. Well, at least not in the sense that we are used to.
This movie is very weird in that sense. It's obvious from the beginning to end that the movie isn't try to thrill you. It's trying to make you feel something for Charlie and Johnny. This is made apparent by the lack of proper atmosphere in all the scenes that should have built suspense, but didn't. There's also the great amount of character interaction.
Charlie, the main character in this movie, is a gangster who is always trying to repent for his sins. He doesn't believe in the priest's way of giving punishment, so he usually deals justice in his own way, which is usually in the form of burning himself. Johnny is like the complete opposite of Charlie. Throughout the film, Charlie tries so hard to protect Johnny, for dubious reasons too. All of this earned him nothing, but pain from Johnny's ungratefulness.
The story is rather interesting, but I thought it shouldn't really be in the gangster category. It seemed more like a drama story to me. I mean, there was almost no killing, no drug dealing, or anything we've come to expect from gangster movies. Sure, there's extortion going on, but that is rather small because everyone seems to be chummy with each other aside from the spontaneous bouts of fighting every now and then.
You can definitely forget about suspense in this movie. Every moment of suspense is ruined by the morose atmosphere or by the confusion caused by spontaneous scenes, which occurs often. That is a big problem in this movie. There are times when things are happening and I'm not sure why. Some of them are revealed later, but in a rather vague fashion.
If you ever get a chance to see this movie, I recommend that you do so. If you're expecting something along the lines of Scarface, GoodFellas, GodFather, or any of those other popular gangster movies, then you're going to be disappointed. Watch this movie with an open mind like I did and you'll walk away fairly satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Excommunicated from NYU
Review: And now I say something that may force NYU to demand the immediate return of my film degree. I think this movie is kind of weak.
Look, it's good. It's great for it's time. But is it good now?
Martin Scorcese's a film god, definitely. But isn't this movie, well...kind of like "Goodfellas" mixed with water?
Rating:
Summary: Scorcesean trappings
Review: Raw tale of sin and redemption in NY's Little Italy. Arguably the precursor to every mob street drama after it, "Mean Streets" showcases Scorcese's cinematic ingenuity in its gestation, particularly where his obsession with religious motifs is concerned.
Rating:
Summary: Raw, vivacious, 'Mean Streets' delivers
Review: When the term "gangster film" is brought up in a conversation, especially on university campuses, such motion pictures as "Carlito's Way," "Donnie Brasco," "The Godfather," "Road to Perdition," or even director Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" rocket to the fore. However, arguably the grittiest, most subtly vibrant take on the mob is naturally overlooked by college-aged viewers more familiar with mobster hits of the last 20 years.
Scorsese was relatively unknown in 1973, the year of the film's release. He served as associate director as well as head editor to the documentary "Woodstock" in 1970, but it wasn't until the outpouring of a semi-autobiographical tale set in the stark back alleys of New York's Little Italy that Scorsese acquired international critical acclaim. Not since "The Graduate" had a film so deftly interpolated popular tunes of the time into its core. Scorsese's crafty usage of The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Shirelles and The Ronettes acted almost as a subconscious voice of reason throughout.
"Mean Streets" is every bit a semi-autobiographical work. Born in New York in 1942, Scorsese moved with his parents to the Lower East Side when he was eight. An asthmatic youth, Scorsese spent a great deal of time either at the cinema or homebound peering out the window in observation of the neighborhood, fantasizing about the underworld goings-on of the fancifully cloaked gentlemen of Sicilian descent - otherwise known as the mafia.
At the age of 14, Scorsese was set on becoming a priest, only to be rejected by his college of choice and ultimately turn to a career in filmmaking. It is his strong affiliation with the Catholic church that seems to catapult his directorial flair to a category unto its own. Although brutal in nature, his films are marked with a profound underlying spiritual fiber, none more so than "Mean Streets."
Charlie Cappa, portrayed delectably by then-cinematic novice Harvey Keitel, bears a striking resemblance to Scorsese. Cappa is an ultra-christened tough guy. He devotes a portion of his existence to maintaining a watchful eye on the troublesome Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), a smart-ass delinquent with outstanding debt around every nook.
Cappa exclaims while on the beachfront with Teresa, Johnny's cousin, "Who's going to help him if I don't? Nobody tries anymore - to help, that is. Saint Francis of Assisi had it all down. He knew. He knew."
His romantic interest, Teresa, is condemned as insane due to her epilepsy. Despite his dire attempts to right all wrong and keep the parables of Christ in his daily processes as a gangster, Cappa gets caught in the crossfire and encounters his own physical hell - although his essence remains intact. In an early voice-over, he not only explains this inner turmoil, but provides a contemplation on the film as a whole:
"Pain and hell has two sides - the kind you can touch with your hand, the kind you can feel in your heart, your soul, the spiritual side; and you know the worst of the two is the spiritual."
Rating: 
Summary: A (literally) dark and boring movie....
Review: i saw this movie in film class in college. The teacher said it was a beautiful film, and perhaps she's right. i thought the movie was too boring, and that it was filmed too dark. i mean, sometimes it was hard to see what was happening, it was so dark! But you should check it out and make your own judgement.
Rating:
Summary: What?
Review: First of, I'm a HUGE fan of Martin Scorcese's "Goodfellas" and "Casino", those movie never get old. I realized this was his first film but come on. The plot is basically about Harvey Kietel growing up in New York City, dealing everyday with problems: the local mob, his epileptic girlfriend, his idiot best friend, the cops, etc. A one-star is too low, and I would've given this movie two stars but I liked seeing Robert DeNiro playing a more comic roll, as opposed to other major movie roles he's had (Casino, Goodfellas, etc). In this film, he plays a punkass city kid named Johnny Boy with a loud mouth and no respect. So that was entertaining. Otherwise, a weak movie. I'm a huge fan of mafia/crime movies but it didn't do it for me. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Scorsese
Review: The first time I saw "Mean Streets" was on a double-bill with "Straw Dogs" at a repertory film house off the University of Pennsylvania in 1981. Now I can't put my put my finger on it but I had seen "Raging Bull" shortly before this but that film did not have the visceral impact on me that "Mean Streets" did. Where do you begin with this film? The dynamic soundtrack, the neighborhood ambiance, the great editing and cinematography. Primarily this film has two great characters in Harvey Keitel's "Charlie" and Robert DeNiro's "Johnny-Boy". They couldn't be more polar opposites. Charlie is essentially a moral man who tries to make peace with the immoral world in which he inhabits. Johnny-Boy is a loose cannon, oblivious to the choices that he makes, whose world could blow up in his face and he wouldn't have a clue. Charlie is misguided by feeling that he has to make some sort of penance in reigning in Johnny-Boy. Charlie doesn't realize how impossible this task is in the world he inhabits where order and chaos co-exist and order is enforced at the point of a gun. Both Keitel and DeNiro make dynamic entrances in this film even though they had previously appeared in more obscure films. One note about the commentary track on this special edition. A gripe I've had about previous editions of Scorsese films is that they lacked a commentary track, however, maybe I should have kept my peace. His commentary doesn't seem to be specific to the action on the screen and he speaks a lot of film-school arcana. It's intermittently interesting but not greatly so.
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