Stars: Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel

Director: Martin Scorsese

Summary: A study of four young Italian-Americans and their involvement with the Mafia and local crooks.

Martin Scorsese's electrifying drama tells the story of Charlie (Harvey Keitel), a charming 27-year-old who is supported by his devoutly Catholic mother. He spends his days wandering the streets of New York City and nights hanging out drinking with his good friend Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), a loose cannon who can't seem to crawl out of debt. Charlie's extreme affability makes him the middle man between his mob-tied uncle Giovanni (Cesare Danova) and various clients, as well as between Johnny Boy and Michael (Richard Romanus), a bookie who has become fed up with Johnny Boy's constant dodging. As the city's San Gennaro Festival takes over the streets of Little Italy, Michael seeks revenge on Johnny Boy once and for all. MEAN STREETS is a perfect example of Scorsese's distinct vision, which has grown to become one of the most mimicked in the history of modern cinema. Using a nostalgic pop music soundtrack to introduce almost every scene, employing long one-takes and handheld cameras to add even greater tension to the proceedings, and coaxing brutally realistic performances out of his actors (most notably De Niro and Keitel), the director proves with MEAN STREETS that while others may try to imitate, there is only one original.

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After Martin Scorsese went to Hollywood in 1972 to direct the low-budget Boxcar Bertha for B-movie mogul Roger Corman, the young director showed the film to maverick director John Cassavetes and got an instant earful of urgent advice. "It's crap," said Cassavetes in no uncertain terms, "now go out and make something that comes from your heart." Scorsese took the advice and focused his energy on Mean Streets, a riveting contemporary film about low-life gangsters in New York's Little Italy that critic Pauline Kael would later call "a true original, and a triumph of personal filmmaking." Starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in roles that announced their talent to the world, it set the stage for Scorsese's emergence as one of the greatest American filmmakers. Introducing themes and character types that Scorsese would return to in Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Casino, and other films, the loosely structured story is drawn directly from Scorsese's background in the Italian neighbourhoods of New York, and it seethes with the raw vitality of a filmmaker who has found his creative groove. As the irresponsible and reckless Johnny Boy, De Niro offers striking contrast to Keitel's Charlie, who struggles to reconcile gang life with Catholic guilt. More of an episodic portrait than a plot-driven crime story, Mean Streets remains one of Scorsese's most direct and fascinating films--a masterful calling card for a director whose greatness was clearly apparent from that point forward. --Jeff Shannon

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1973
Release Date:	February 2, 2009
Runtime:	103 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	8224343
Keywords:	Special, General, Edition, Mean, Streets, Drama
Genre:	Drama