Mean Streets (1973)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Martin S

  
  Scorsese shows us early in his career that he is someone you can count on. Exellent begin of a awesome future. Very solid movie. A lot of very good performances. But Harvey Keitel is just wonderful.

• Graham J

  
  Scorsese's first masterpiece, DeNiro in his first great role.

• Melvin W

  
  Scorsese's first masterpiece. Showed a little of what was to come with his crime epics Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and Casino. De Niro and Keitel are great like always, and Amy Robinson is also very good as Johnny's cousin, and Charlie's girlfriend Teresa.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  Gritty, realistic urban drama on the Italian-American underground. The camera work and direction by Martin Scorsese are outstanding, a sign of the legend he would become in the years after Mean Streets, his breakthrough. Basically, the film follows no plot, but the stunning… More
  Gritty, realistic urban drama on the Italian-American underground. The camera work and direction by Martin Scorsese are outstanding, a sign of the legend he would become in the years after Mean Streets, his breakthrough. Basically, the film follows no plot, but the stunning performances by Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro make it gripping enough.

• AJ V

  
  A fantastic drama from Scorsese, the actors are great, the story is great, and I loved this movie. If you're a Scorsese fan, you have to see this one.

• Dan S

  
  By far one of the most under-seen gangster pictures ever made, featuring tremendous lead performances from both Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro that, through the careful handling by director Martin Scorsese, make this a picture that is a riveting look at friendship, loyalty, and the… More
  By far one of the most under-seen gangster pictures ever made, featuring tremendous lead performances from both Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro that, through the careful handling by director Martin Scorsese, make this a picture that is a riveting look at friendship, loyalty, and the crime world in general. While Keitel is definitely incredible and is completely believable as a go-getter in the mafia world, as usual, it's De Niro who is so special as a lazy, unmotivated bum who doesn't realize how much trouble he's in. His character is dangerous on so many levels, not really caring about his life or how he affects those closest to him. In Scorsese's bleak, dark take of the underbelly of New York City, redemption is no where to be found even when it appears certain characters think they see a light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, what we have here is yet another crushing look concerning horrendous individuals who don't get along with each other, and the result is something almost unbearably depressing.

• jd c

  
  From the director of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, and Shutter Island. Mean Streets is Martin Scorsese's third feature film about small-time Italian street hustlers who roam the streets of Little Italy, New York… More
  From the director of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, and Shutter Island. Mean Streets is Martin Scorsese's third feature film about small-time Italian street hustlers who roam the streets of Little Italy, New York City, collecting money, hitting the local bars, and starting all types of trouble. It's easy to tell from the jump that this feature film is by the hands of a masterfully skilled director. I believe this film is a semi-autobiography of Scorsese's younger days, or so I heard. Mean Streets is both funny and sad at the same time. What makes it so emotional is the relationship between Johnny Boy (played by Robert De Niro) - an immature delinquent hooligan who's always in debt, and Charlie (played by Harvey Keitel) - a more experienced hoodlum stepping up in the world of crime and always having to clean up after Johnny Boy's mess. Charlie is also dating Johnny Boy's epileptic cousin Teresa. It's very clear that Charlie loves Johnny Boy like a brother, he's always talking him out of trouble, he pays off Johnny's debts to the best of his ability, and most importantly he listens to Johnny when no one else does. The neighborhood takes Johnny for a fool. No one really trusts him, he's unreliable, and they like pushing his buttons because it's easy. But yet they all still hang with him and consider him part of the crew. There's two reasons why. Because Johnny Boy is close with Charlie, and Charlie preaches Johnny's good intentions to his friends hoping it rubs off on them (which it clearly does for the most part), and also because Johnny Boy is a fighter. He's a tough muscle for the crew who will throw down anytime, even though it's his mouth that besiegingly provokes most the trouble and for the most part getting his ass kicked, nonetheless, he'll always be there for his crew. It also seems Charlie feels guilty for dating Johnny Boy's cousin. Like he owes something to Johnny. And he doesn't make his relationship with Teresa publicly known because Charlie feels embarrassed. I can't understand why, she's a pretty girl and she treats him right, but I do know Charlie's full-fledged Mafioso Uncle would be in disagreement with their relationship. The Uncle does seem to take her epilepsy more as a curse and an embarrassment than a disease. And he also thinks what most people think of Johnny Boy - that he's a small-time punk loser. Charlie, being that his intentions are to step up in the family business, doesn't want to disappoint his Uncle. But what would his Uncle do if he found out he was dating Teresa? I highly doubt he would have Charlie killed, there's no way he would. Or maybe it's that Teresa and Johnny would make him look like a bum as well, a lowlife, and affect his chances of becoming a "real man". That's likely the case, but it's never spoken by Charlie. There's just a sign of discomfort and a brief mention of what seems to be a disapproval in his involvement. The truth only lies with the characters but the consequences we understand. Another problem is that Johnny Boy borrowed money from the wrong man this time. He owes a lot, but like always, he doesn't have a lot. He just takes, and takes, and takes, but never gives back. It's even mentioned in the film by Johnny Boy himself... "You see, I borrow money all over this neighborhood, left and right from everybody, I never pay them back. So, I can't borrow no money from nobody no more, right? So who would that leave me to borrow money from but you? I borrow money from you, because you're the only jerk-off around here who I can borrow money from without payin' back, right? You know, 'cause that's what you are, that's what I think of you: a jerk-off. You're a fucking jerk-off!" As you can tell, Johnny Boy likes taking advantage of people. What's going on here is that he always expects Charlie to back him up and save the day. That's what happens sometimes when you're too nice to people and let them get away with certain things. They'll take advantage of you. Just like if you don't yell at your puppy for shitting on the carpet. Eventually the more you let the pup get away with it, it'll always be shitting on your carpet. Johnny Boy is Charlie's little puppy who wasn't trained properly. And when Charlie does finally open his mouth it's an emotional breakdown. Johnny Boy weeps, the sister has an attack, and Charlie's in the middle - frustrated and torn between right and wrong. Charlie wants the best for everybody. Again, as Johnny Boy quotes himself... "Charlie loves everybody and everybody loves Charlie." It kind of reminds me of this friend I use to have. Always admired by everyone because he always gave people what they wanted, and note that I said "wanted" not "needed". But in reality everyone has a line not to be crossed. We have a bubble of space not be invaded. It's human nature. And like a dog sometimes people need to growl at others, a heads up, and show that your serious about your space. And if the person doesn't respect that, then it's unfriendly. Just like my friend...Charlie never growled. By the end of the film you'll see where that gets you. This guy that Johnny owes money to isn't so friendly himself, a little too unfriendly. But sometimes, even when people don't have any money, they still get stuck paying the price. Mean Streets is a remarkable film, but it's not without it's flaws. Some situations (not performances - those are top notch) but some situations are awkward. One good example would be the long fight scene in the bar. It wasn't well choreographed, it just seemed a bit too silly. Another example is the editing. Now I always loved the style of editing in Scorsese films, I think they are some of the best, but being (as you can clearly see in this film) he wasn't as experienced as he soon became later on, and the editing (only in some places) seemed a bit too choppy. Other than that the movie is fantastic. The acting, the direction, believable dialogue, AMAZING soundtrack. It all makes for yet another great Scorsese crime feature. I highly recommend it. "You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it." - Martin Scorsese (voiceover in beginning of Mean Streets) <a href="http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/?action=view¤t=mean-sts-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/mean-sts-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> "One of the best American films of the decade." - Time Out "Scorsese is exceptionally good at guiding his largely unknown cast to near-flawless recreations of types. Outstanding in this regard is De Niro." - Variety "One of Scorsese's true classics." - eFilmCritic.com "No matter how bleak the milieu, no matter how heartbreaking the narrative, some films are so thoroughly, beautifully realized they have a kind of tonic effect that has no relation to the subject matter." - New York Times "Mean Streets is more than a rambunctious time capsule of Italian American experience, it is groundbreaking film that announces the career of a truly original voice in world cinema." - Daily Radar "A modern masterpiece where the setting is the star, even among a cast that is highlighted by Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel." - Movie Views "It's greatness lies in its leanness, with nary a word, a move, a gesture that's nonessential." - Los Angeles Times "In countless ways, right down to the detail of modern TV crime shows, Mean Streets is one of the source points of modern movies." - Roger Ebert <a href="http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/?action=view¤t=MeanStreets.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/HorrorQf/MeanStreets.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets..."</i> A small-time hood struggles to succeed on the "mean streets" of Little Italy. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets..."</i> A small-time hood struggles to succeed on the "mean streets" of Little Italy. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Filmmaker Martin Scorsese placed himself in the echelon of top directors in his breakthrough movie about small time hoods in the seamier neighborhoods of Manhattan with Keitel as Charlie, a tough guy with some smarts and plenty of Catholic guilt and De Niro in a breakthrough performance as Keitel's loose cannon screw up Johnny Boy who shoots off his mouth more than he should. Funny dialogue (De Niro: `What am I in coffee and cake land, here?'), improvisatory feel throughout and fine camera work mingled with a retro 1960s jukebox soundtrack and always the threat of unsurpressed violence (lotsa fights!). My favorite scene is when Keitel and his boys go to the local bookie in a pool hall and get into not one but two scuffles (`Mook? Pregnant pause: `I'll give ya Mook!') Look sharp for David and Robert Carradine in an unbelievable bar shooting, Scorsese's mother helping Keitel's epileptic girlfriend Robinson and Scorsese himself as an assassin (and yes that's him in the beginning moments as Keitel's voice over'd conscience). Gritty and goofy all at once.

• Tim S

  
  Love this early Scorcese classic.

• Conner R

  
  An amazing movie. Everything about it screams perfection. From casting to soundrack, it is flawless. The story is simple, yet fun and emotional. It's Martin Scorsese's semi-autobiographical narrative that is so obviously close to his heart, it overflows into the screen.… More
  An amazing movie. Everything about it screams perfection. From casting to soundrack, it is flawless. The story is simple, yet fun and emotional. It's Martin Scorsese's semi-autobiographical narrative that is so obviously close to his heart, it overflows into the screen. Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro are great together and make the viewing experience even more enjoyable.

• Randy T

  
  Unpolished and gritty. Scorsese is obviously honing his craft here but it's still a fantastic piece of film making. I'm not crazy about the ending but it doesn't detract from the character of the movie. A must-see motion picture for Scorsese, Keitel & DeNiro fans… More
  Unpolished and gritty. Scorsese is obviously honing his craft here but it's still a fantastic piece of film making. I'm not crazy about the ending but it doesn't detract from the character of the movie. A must-see motion picture for Scorsese, Keitel & DeNiro fans alike.

• Anthony L

  
  Scorsese's first gangster film and a taste of what was to come. In many ways its better than his later efforts, the low budget complimenting the gritty reality of the streets.

• Chris W

  
  Not his first film, but definitely the one that put Scorsese on the map. This film is overflowing with both style and substance and deep personal themes, all of which would make countless return appearances in Scorsese's later films, as well as in the works of those he inspired… More
  Not his first film, but definitely the one that put Scorsese on the map. This film is overflowing with both style and substance and deep personal themes, all of which would make countless return appearances in Scorsese's later films, as well as in the works of those he inspired and influenced. I really enjoyed this film, and thought it was great, but feel deep down that I'd appreciate and love this film more had I seen it earlier. This gets major props for being a very "Catholic" film- a quality I love to see in Marty's work.

• Chris G

  
  Martin Scorsese's first film in a genre that he would define in the following decades is also his first pairing with Robert DeNiro in Mean Streets. The film is about a group of low men on the Mafia totem pole mainly focusing on Harvey Keitel's character Chralie who ends up… More
  Martin Scorsese's first film in a genre that he would define in the following decades is also his first pairing with Robert DeNiro in Mean Streets. The film is about a group of low men on the Mafia totem pole mainly focusing on Harvey Keitel's character Chralie who ends up being pulled from three directions: his uncles business, his girl Teresa (Amy Robinson), and the lunacy of Johnny Boy (DeNiro). Mean Streets feels almost like the test hybrid for films like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas that would come as early as three years later to close to twenty. As in a lot of Scorsese pictures New York plays a role in itself. You know it's New York in the 1970's, a gritty cess pool that most Americans knew nothing about. This was a film about Scorsese's neighborhood. DeNiro is fantastic as Johnny Boy, a role he plays when he was still the hungry method actor. Where has those days gone Bob? Mean Streets is Scorsese's first real love letter to New York and helps define his style that has been ripped off several time but never duplicated. You can feel the traffic going by, hear the band playing, and smell the mixture of marinara sauce and sewer like you were actually in Little Italy.

• danny d

  
  considered the first great film by scorsese, i love scoesese and i really dont care for this film. as unexplained, unorganized, unimportant, and lifeless as a film can be. this film is juvenille and plain, unlike scorsese's later work. it deserves some score because of its… More
  considered the first great film by scorsese, i love scoesese and i really dont care for this film. as unexplained, unorganized, unimportant, and lifeless as a film can be. this film is juvenille and plain, unlike scorsese's later work. it deserves some score because of its potential and the strength of its performances, but not worth while.

• xGary X

  
  Mean Streets concerns the comings and goings of a group of small time criminals operating in the seedy under belly of New York City. It's an early Scorsese, and you can certainly see him learning his craft as the story unfolds; there are some great scenes and you can see the… More
  Mean Streets concerns the comings and goings of a group of small time criminals operating in the seedy under belly of New York City. It's an early Scorsese, and you can certainly see him learning his craft as the story unfolds; there are some great scenes and you can see the prototype versions of many from his coming classics. But having said that, a lot of the film is rather aimless and lacking in focus, and many of the minor supporting characters are poorly acted caricatures. It seems more concerned with capturing the characters and essence of this side of New York and often wanders off onto tangents which left me rather restless, and dare I say it, bored? Sacrilege I know, and the ending of the film is very powerful, but the journey there is rather flawed. An interesting film for Scorsese aficionados, but it will disappoint anyone expecting a classic on the same scale as the likes of Taxi Driver or Goodfellas.

• Tim S

  
  This is were it all began.

• Ken S

  
  I appreciate this a lot more than I like it. Mob stories have never been a favorite genre on mine.

• Lady D

  
  This film had potential to me, but found a lot of it boring. I liked De Niro's character in the beginning, but there wasn't much appeal to this film I'm sad to say as a De Niro and Scorsese fan

• Aaron N

  
  Johnny Boy: Y'know Joey Clams... Charlie: Yeah. Johnny Boy: ...Joey Scallops, yeah. Charlie: I know him too, yeah. Johnny Boy: ...yeah. No. No, Joey Scallops is Joey Clams. Charlie: Right. Johnny Boy: Right. Charlie: ...they're the same person! Johnny Boy: Yeah! Charlie:… More
  Johnny Boy: Y'know Joey Clams... Charlie: Yeah. Johnny Boy: ...Joey Scallops, yeah. Charlie: I know him too, yeah. Johnny Boy: ...yeah. No. No, Joey Scallops is Joey Clams. Charlie: Right. Johnny Boy: Right. Charlie: ...they're the same person! Johnny Boy: Yeah! Charlie: 'ey! Johnny Boy: 'ey... Martin Scorsese's first big hit of a movie. Also his first big gangster movie. Although it's not really about gangster's necessarily, it's about some friends who are basically small time hoods, but that's how they choose to live. The movie stars Harvey Keitel in a solid leading role. He is cool and smooth with his friends mostly, and has a good aura around him when he enters a room. One of the opening scenes for him is a great entrance, he walks into a club, camera fixed on his back, Rolling Stones are playing and he is doin a little dancin while walkin to his table. The scene is great. Away from his friends, Keitel is a sad individual, he copes with the way his life is and how his friends are. Charlie: It's all bullshit except the pain. The pain of hell. The burn from a lighted match increased a million times. Infinite. Now, ya don't fuck around with the infinite. There's no way you do that. The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart... your soul, the spiritual side. And ya know... the worst of the two is the spiritual. The main foil in his life is Robert DeNiro's character, Johnny Boy. DeNiro is of course great in this movie, and this is his first big role. His character is more used to the life of crime, except he always gets himself into stupid situations and has to deal with the effects, mainly not having money that he owes. His character is a fuck up, yet he has so much charisma around him, and the chemistry between him and Keitel is perfect. Johnny Boy: You see, I borrow money all over this neighborhood, left and right from every BODY, I never pay them back. So, I can't borrow no money from nobody no more, right? So, who would that leave me to borrow money from but you? I borrow money from you, because you're the only jerk-off around here who I can borrow money from without payin' back, right? You know, 'cause that's what you are, that's what I think of you: a jerk-off. The style of this film is very good. With a limited budget, Scorsese goes for a handheld approach, but it gives the film a more authentic feel. The soundtrack, made from Scorsese's own record collection, is also great, it is current but sets a great tone throughout the film. It's a good crime drama with good performances from the leads, and a good start to the wide range career of Scorsese.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings