Mean Streets (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: the most influential independent film
Review: "Mean Streets," simply put, is the greatest independent film ever made. At the very least, it pioneered what modern audiences have come to associate with the best of indie cinema, and what, by the late '90s, has become so essential to our perception of so-called "hip" movies that the once daring and exhilarating techniques are now mostly used as frustrating cliches. The picture itself, made in 1973, is most famous for kick-starting three major careers. Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro later collaborated as a director/actor team on four more masterpieces: "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull" "The King of Comedy" and "Goodfellas." Harvey Keitel, in the leading role, went on to play other memorable characters, like "Pulp Fiction"'s Mr. Wolf. Cast as Charlie , a small-time, young gangster in New York's Little Italy, Keitel struggles to make sense of his Catholic background and help his troubled friend (DeNiro) stay out of the powerful Mafia players' way. What seems to be a familiar scenario, used as far back as the classic Bogart/Cagney vehicles, gets an unusually complex treatment from Scorsese. A conventional, linear plot structure with big speeches and witty one-liners from main characters is abandoned for a grittier, naturalistic approach. The film consists of a series of telling episodes, related only through their participants. "Mean Streets" has much more in common with the works of Italian Neo-realism or French New Wave, rather than a typical gangster drama. Its unorthodox, original, yet unpretentious camera work gives the film an unprecedented vitality that young filmmakers have attempted to recreate for decades. Now commonplace shots, such as a subtitled introduction of a particular character, a fight sequence tracked through the four corners of a room in a single take, a swaying hand-held camera to create the sense of an alcohol-induced stupor, have all been popularized through this movie, a veritable Bible of dynamic cinematography. Another revolutionary aspect of "Mean Streets" is the virtual lack of a script. Most of the key scenes were almost fully improvised, thus sounding far more authentic than the old-style, theatrical delivery used in most American films up to that time. The actors' speech is so profanity-ridden that no screenwriter of the time could have possibly doctored anything even close. De Niro's flamboyant turn as a youth on the edge of sanity is unlike anything before. In fact,the swear-fests of later crime movies (and indie classics like "Clerks") owe a direct debt to his extraordinary performance as Johnny Boy. One of Scorcese's most groundbraking achievements was his incorporation of popular songs into the soundtrack. All of the icluded music originates elsewhere- Italian traditional recordings (Opera arias, Folk tunes) and for the most part, glorious, irresistable Rock'n'Roll of the early 60's (Motown, the Stones, Girl Groups, DooWop).The easily identifiable hits serve as atmospheric settings, adding an extra, personal dimension to any given scene. George Lucas' "American Graffiti", released in the same year, operated by the same principle, establishing a tradition that seems to expand with every coming year. As it is often the case with true independent cinema, "Mean Streets" was ignored at the box office, despite an underground acclaim which helped launch not only the great talents behind it, but an entire school of filmmaking.

Rating:
Summary: 'Charlie Likes Everybody. Everybody Likes Charlie.'
Review: Ah yes..the film that started a collaboration for the books. 'Mean Streets' paired a young director and a young actor who shared the common goal of looking to get their big break.
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro together for the first time.
This movie started a relationship that spans eight films and sparked creative genius from behind-the-camera as well as in front of the camera that has yet to be duplicated.

'Mean Streets' offers a little insight into a world that's both fascinating and dangerous, thanks to Scorsese's semi-autobiographical references he incorporated into this film.

Harvey Keitel plays a young Italian named Charlie. As Johnny-Boy so eloquently puts it, "Charlies likes everybody. Everybody likes Charlie." He struggles to live his life with some degree of normalcy, but immediately feels the pressures of his Little Italy neighborhood. He feels he has to save Johnny-Boy from a life of gambling and heavy debt, but when he can't, the climax begins to unfold. A far cry from his 'Sport' characterization in "Taxi Driver," Harvey Keitel gives a great and sympathy-evoking performance.

Robert De Niro plays Johnny-Boy, Charlie's childhood friend who's a bit unbalanced and a lot in debt. This role here offers a foreshadowing in the roles that good 'ol Bobby D. would later become famous for. ::Ahem:: 'Travis Bickle' in "Taxi Driver." Johnny-Boy is enjoyable, from his entrance into Charlie's bar right up to the climatic end (I'm not giving it away.)De Niro is astounding, and I'm not saying that just because he's my favorite actor on the face of this green earth. He's really captivating. It's extremely hard to take your eyes off of him because of his character's unpredicatability. All I could say when I finished watching this movie was.."WOW.."

If you're a Scorsese fan,get this film. If you're a De Niro fan, get this film. If you're both, get this film.
...If you want to see where genius comes from, get this film.
Oh yeah!! And keep you're eyes peeled for a cameo by Scorsese.

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: An Ok Movie - But Not Martin Scorsese's Best- BY FAR!
Review: Let me start off by saying I'm without a doubt the BIGGEST fan of Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese! Without a doubt this film has a superb cast and a superb director, but lacks a storyline.

Mean Streets is a story about a group of gangsters in NYC, who for the most part, dont even cause any crimes. The ending is so horrible, it dropped my rating *1/2 stars.

Robert De Niro & Harvey Keitel give oscar worthy performances. GO FIGURE! A bad movie - but they really do make the movie. Keitel's best performance EVER!...

Rating:
Summary: The start of the greatest actor/director partnership in film
Review: Talk to any actor or any director and they're more than likely to tell you that a strong working relationship is essential to making a quality picture. The partnership between De Niro and Scorsese is one that has spawned some of the best films in the history of American cinema. From "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" to "Good Fellas", "Cape Fear", and "Casino", it all started right here, with "Mean Streets".

"Mean Streets" tells the story of 2 young men, Charlie and Johnny Boy, trying to make their way in New York's Little Italy. Charlie is the nephew of a local mob boss and Johnny Boy is a gambler with a lot of debt. Charlie tries to do all he can for his friend Johnny Boy to help him out with his money troubles, but Johnny Boy keeps messing things up. He keeps spending his money and disrespecting the wrong people. Admist his attempts to help out a friend, Charlie also has problems of his own to deal with. After his uncle takes control of a restaurant, Charlie sees opportunity knocking at his door, but he worries about how his friendship with Johnny and his relationship with Johnny's cousin will affect his chances at getting to run the business. Charlie also spends much of his time dealing with his Catholic guilt. Religion plays a fairly significant role in Charlie's life, as does his criminal career, and the 2 obviously do not go together well.

The third film in a career that spans over 30 years, this was the movie that put Scorsese on the map as one of the greatest directors in America cinema. Keitel and De Niro also got major career boosts from this film. A landmark picture, not only for the launching of three of the most successful film careers in the last 3 decades, but also a monumental achievement in itself. Even if De Niro, Scorsese, and Keitel all never made another movie after this, it would still be fantastic in my eyes.

The wiriting, direction, performances, and editing are all top notch here. The dialog is very natural and absorbing and the directing is remarkable. The cinematography is fantastic, as is the norm in Scorsese's movies. The camera work in the scene were Johnny walks into the bar in the beginning of the movie is great, and the use of the red lighting is brilliant. The performances here are what really steals the show, though. Harvey Keitel is terrific as Charlie and De Niro is extremely engaging as Johnny Boy. Johnny Boy is one of my favorite characters out of De Niro's entire filmography. He's so charismatic and the screen presence he brings is awe inspiring. It's impossible to take your eyes off of him. Johnny Boy is an immensly likable character in many ways (at least I thought so), which is very important in this kind of film. In movies like this where the responsible friend lays it all on the line for his screw up buddy, the audience will never get it unless they can end up liking the screw up as much as the responsible friend does. The viewer needs to be able to see why someone would be willing to risk their future for this guy. De Niro doesn't dissapoint in the least in that aspect, or in any other for that matter.

For fans of De Niro and/or Scorsese, this film is absolutely essential veiwing. Without this film, we wouldn't have "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull", "Good Fellas" or any other films by De Niro and Scorsese. This film is one of the most significant in the history of American cinema in the last 35 years. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: KNOCKIN' ON HELL'S DOOR
Review: Third movie of Martin Scorsese, MEAN STREETS marks the real beginning of this major director. His favorite themes are already there : italo-american neighborhood, friendship amidst semi-gangsters, family ties and of course... Robert DeNiro.

Another Scorsese theme by excellence is the feeling of guiltiness which haunts Harvey Keitel, the main character of MEAN STREETS. He walks through life surrounded by all the temptations created by a catholic education. So, the bar where he meets his friends, filmed in red tones by Scorsese, appears more as the waiting room for hell than as a peaceful pub. His girlfriend is epileptic, an illness which was considered as a sign of possession not so long ago.

MEAN STREETS is the story of a man who likes to play with fire in a society ruled by a strict code of honor. Every transgressions must be punished. Hence the terrible feeling we have during this movie : from the start on, we know that fatality reigns in the world depicted by Scorsese and that someone is going to pay.

Video and Audio are not so good but considering the fact that MEAN STREETS is a 1973 independent movie and that it is signed by Martin Scorsese, it's a must-buy for the movie lover.

A -go to church- DVD.

Rating:
Summary: An overlooked gem of early Scorsese
Review: This early film from director Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Last Temptation of Christ) stars Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in early roles that would only be a sample of the acting ability to come on later years. Keitel and De Niro respectively play two low rent hoods named Charlie and Johnny Boy. Both are friends with ranging priorities; Charlie is overcome with Catholic guilt while he tries to help the reckless, debt ridden Johnny and make a name for himself with the mob. While De Niro gets the top billing, it is Keitel that is the true star of Mean Streets, and his fantastic moving performance would only set the tone of his future great roles in Bad Lieutenant, Reservoir Dogs, and Pulp Fiction. De Niro gives a great early glimpse of the actor he would become, and he is great as well in his limited screen time. Scorsese began to craft the kind of director he would become with this film, moving on to make groundbreaking and critically acclaimed films like Taxi Driver, Last Temptation of Christ, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Bringing Out the Dead, and Gangs of New York. All in all, Mean Streets is a great film that would only serve as a sample of the greatness to come from Scorsese, De Niro, and Keitel.

Rating:
Summary: Overlooked and underappreciated
Review: This is a fantastic film, and I'm going to tell you why I think so, and by the time you finish reading this, you just might change your mind about it, or run out and have to see it.

The music is great. Perfectly fits the time period and setting, I dunno how much they had to pay in royalties for the songs in this film, but I love em'.

The camera work is fantastic. There's a scene where the camera gives you charlie's viewpoint, stumbling, wobbling across the bar, lights flashing, people dancing, music blaring, then zooms out to his smiling happy face. Then there's the filming of the street festival and the overall way which New York is captured so perfectly. It feels like you are really in the city, the movie has that gritty feeling to it.

The dialogue is great, many of it is ad libed by Deniro and Keitel. This is the beginning of ad libbed dialogue for deniro, the culmination being his speech in front of the mirror in taxi driver; "You talkin' to me"? There's a scene where Keitel confronts Deniro outside the bar to ask him about his debt, the exchange is perfect, it could never have been written and its executed beautifully.

The acting is also fantastic throughout.

So, great acting, great filmwork and great dialogue all come together to create a wonderfully realistic film.

Now, the end of the movie, maybe you didn't understand it, so I'll explain the film. I'll try not to spoil the ending.

Ok, so Charlie does some bad things, he works for the mob after all, and he wants to repent for his sins, so, after going to church and then later seeing jonny boy in a bar he thinks that God has asked him to repent for his sins on the streets, by helping out Jonny Boy. He doesn't believe that saying a few hail mary's or confessing washes away one's sins. So enter the walking train wreck that is Jonny Boy.

Now, what type of person is Jonny Boy? He has no sense of responsibility, he does not answer to anyone, he does not obey any rules, never does what is expected of him.

Hmm, so what type of person is Charlie? There are several scenes in the film that let you know what type of person charlie is. The statement Charlie loves everybody and everybody loves Charlie almost sums it up. Charlie wants to please everyone. But his life is full of conflict. You can't be in the mob and be religious, it just doesn't work that way. You can't hang out with guys who are racist and date an African American. These are just a few examples, but suffice to stay that Charlie wants everyone to like him, the local mob boss, his friends, his God, but he also wants to be happy and do the things he wants to do. There is conflict in all of this. Some of the other people that charlie wants to please, eg., God and the mob boss, have conflicting agendas. Some of the people that charlie wants to please conflict with what he personally wants to do with his life, eg. he is embarassed to be dating the epileptic because he thinks it shows weakness to his friends, but he loves her and she makes him happy.

You cannot please everyone. The irony of this film, and this is a little spoiler, is that while charlie is trying to save jonny boy, he should take a few lessons from him. Jonny Boy does whatever he wants without thinking about who he might upset, or disappoint. Charlie is the complete opposite. Yeah, Jonny Boy is destructive and his life is falling apart, but the point is that the two of them represent two opposite extremes. This is why the end of the film is tragic, its the lesson that you can't make everyone happy, that life is full of conflict, the conflict may be between different people in your life which you try to please, or between yourself and other people in your life. These basic conflicts and how we deal with them sum up who we are as human beings.

So there are many reasons why this film is great, I highly recommend giving it a second chance. I watch it every once in awhile and it really is one of my favorite films.

Rating:
Summary: Vintage Scorsese
Review: This is pretty much the movie that started it all for Scorsese: guys named DeNiro and Keitel, a pop music soundtrack, graphic violence, and the omnipotent Catholic guilt complex. This film is simple, but also beautiful, poignant, and almost surreal. I highly recommend it to fans of Scorsese's later films. It's a true gem that might've gone unnoticed by fans of Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, etc.

I must admit that the first time I watched Mean streets, I wasn't particularly fond of it, but the second time, I really saw it for what it is. Just give it a chance.