Customer Reviews

Mean Streets [VHS]

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3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

"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.

If Mean Streets did nothing more than introduce Martin Scorsese, Robert de Niro and Harvey Keitel to the general filmgoing public (although not the first film for any of the three, it certainly was the first film to capture the attention of the critics and public), then it would still deserve to be considered one of the most important of all contemporary films. But the film is much more - it established the interwoven themes which Scorsese, perhaps the greatest living film-maker now that Stanley Kubrick has died, carries through virtually the entire spectrum of his work. See this film, and then watch Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas and see how a master director developed his craft. Even so, Mean Streets is arguably Scorsese's best film: because the style was so innovative, the rawness and violence of both the treatment of the subject matter and of the two lead performances perhaps had a greater impact than anything either the director or the actors have done since. De Niro's stunning performance as Johnny Boy takes on the proportions of a Greek tragic hero, moving steadily toward his violent and inevitable destiny. In one fell swoop he established himself as one of the greatest actors of his generation (and would go on with Scorsese to achieve his greatest triumph - Raging Bull). Keitel, a Scorsese regular from the latter's very first film (Who's That Knocking At My Door), has never been better.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

First off, I should say that this film is most enjoyable to watch. You really get a sense of what NY streets are all about. There is no intricate story here, however,the charactor development is exceptional. The viewer gets to know Tony (David Provol), Harvey Keitel and Deniro's (Johnny Boy)charactors. There is an underlying message of loyalty and friendship in the midst of a daily life struggle to make a buck. Scamming some teenagers out of $20.00 seems to be a highlight to a full day of running numbers and collecting on debts. There is a simplicity in this lifestyle that illustrates the precise mind set that these charactors have. There are shots in this film that certainly layed the groundwork for Goodfellas and Taxi Driver. Scorcese went on to make Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore just to escape a stereotype image of making hard core films. Thank someone for Scorcese's urge to get back to what he does best. If Mean Streets was a training ground for making films that would become many peoples top 10 fav's than it must be a film making blueprint that should not go under rated. By the way, I did notice some distortion in some of the audio tracks; like Be my Baby the film opener. Otherwise, the transfer is excellent; better than you would expect. In the scene where Keitel and Amy Robinson are walking down the hall way, there is some film dropout that is noticeable. Scorcese went to great lengths to remaster this film and re-released in theaters two years ago for a limited run. As DVD viewers we get to benefit from those efforts. This is a DVD worth owning, no question about it.

Mean Streets is the movie that broke out the careers of director Martin Scorcese and Harvey Keitel and Robert DeNiro. The film set the mold for the directorial style that Mr. Scorcese would follow the rest of his career; including the goodfella plotline and heavy doses of doo wop music, early 60's rock & r&b. The story centers around Charlie, who is a low level mobster. He doesn't have alot of rank and privilege, but the guys in the neighborhood always seem to come to them with their problems. Charlie is quite religious and despite his shady career, he is a nice guy. He keeps his relationship with his epileptic girlfriend Theresa a secret and he is constantly putting out fires started by her cousin and his best friend Johnny-Boy. Johnny is a loose cannon who in debt big time to a local loan shark. The movie ends in a rush of gunfire and crashing cars. Mr. Scorcese does a magnificent job of conveying the day-to-day life of guys in Little Italy. The film has a definite personal touch and you can image that these were the guys he knew from his neighborhood. Mr. Keitel is Charlie and he does a great job of portraying him as a man with all the weight of the world on his shoulders. Even though Mr. Keitel has the lead role and is in just about every scene, the real star of the film is Mr. DeNiro as Johnny-Boy. He explodes off the screen with a fiery, over the top performance. The movie showed that he would be an actor to be reckoned with and Mr. Scorcese would be a directorial force.