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Mean
Streets is an American classic.
It was the film that featured breakthrough performances of master
thespians Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel, and gave its writer/director
Martin Scorsese the chance to prove his worth, in the process launching
a career that would see him become one of the silver screen's most
revered and popular filmmakers.
A semi-auto biographical crime tale, Mean Streets stars Keitel
as Scorsese's alter-ego Charlie, a young gangster who is making
a name for himself as a debt collector for his Mafioso Uncle Giovanni
(Cesare Danova). Driven by his Catholic guilt and plagued by the
threat of eternal hellfire, Charlie has also built a reputation
as something of a saint in the mean streets of New York City. When
his best friend Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) - a two bit punk who
owes money all over town - faces danger when he refuses to make
his payments, Charlie takes it upon himself to save Johnny from
certain death.
Keitel contains a magnetic screen presence which had me drawn to
his character, who is a sad soul of the streets torn by feelings
of loyalty to his friends, his family, the Church, and the streets.
All the while he is suffocating in the limitations of his life as
an Italian gangster, and the outward racism and homophobia that
comes with it.
In a scene stealing supporting role, a young Robert De Niro is simply
electrifying in the most animated turn of his career. The lively
exchanges between Keitel and De Niro feature these now legendary
actors at their most raw and lively.
Mean Streets marks the first time that Scorsese will forego
a traditional film score in favour of a vast array of music ranging
from rock to classical. This in turn heightens several key scenes
such as Johnny Boy strutting to the Rolling Stones' Jumping Jack
Flash, and a piss up at the local bar which features Scorsese at
his innovative best.
Scorsese also manages to effectively convey the sights and sounds
of New York's Little Italy and the hustlers which inhabit it, despite
the fact that the majority of the film was shot in Los Angeles.
The gritty and raw predecessor to Goodfellas, Mean
Streets is essential viewing for crime movie buffs and general
lovers of cinema.
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