Mean Streets

Despite vivid playing by Robert De Niro as the wildest and most self-destructive of them, relationships are not developed very far. Violence finally swamps them -- a brutal slaying which tries to elevate banal characters to some kind of heroic status.

Freeze frames, casual violence and conversation are there in service of a story about two apprentice hoodlums...

For all its raw, exhilarating energy, it’s a film that can always break your heart.

Harvey Keitel is clearly Scorsese’s protagonist -- as well as his on-screen surrogate. But as good as he is, the movie gets stolen by De Niro’s wild and crazy Johnny Boy.

Mean Streets is a true original of our period, a triumph of personal filmmaking.

There is much to admire about Mean Streets, a film that admirably reflects the adjective in its title and that shows a fine talent in director Martin Scorsese.

Mean Streets opens a window to the indoor activities of gangsters. Scorsese uses pool halls, restaurants, bars, and clubs as the backdrop and as with most of his films, the external environment has an internal effect on our protagonist.

The violence is frequent and inconsistent, just like the plot direction, but there are decent performances within the film. Scorsese had a decent start to his career, this being his third film, and he only continued to develop his work for the better.

Martin Scorsese made two feature films before this one but Mean Streets would really be the one that placed him on the map.

The film comes up a little short when it comes to its screenplay, which doesn't provide quite enough development for these storylines or characters, ultimately making this early work of the master filmmaker one of his more forgettable efforts.