Day 135 - Mean Streets



Day 135          Mean Streets [1973]
                          
Screenplay                    Martin Scorsese & Mardick Martin
Director                         Martin Scorsese
Cinematography            Kent L. Wakeford
Leads                            Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, David Proval, Amy Robinson, Richard Romanus, Cesare Donova
Production                     Taplin-Perry-Scorsese Productions

IMDb                                 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes                96%

Vintage Scorsese. The first feature film of his own design. They say write about what you know and here is Scorsese’s love letter to New York’s Little Italy. The film explores the predicaments of low-level hoodlums and friends Charlie (Keitel), ‘Johnny Boy’ (De Niro) and Tony (Proval). Specifically, we follow Charlie as he struggles to juggle various problems such as keeping his powerful uncle happy, whilst looking after his erratic family friend Johnny and his affair with Johnny’s cousin Teresa (Robinson). All at the same time we hear his inner dialogue as he questions everything he does because of his devotion to the Catholic church. Keitel and De Niro are electrifying. I don’t know too much about his history, but I think this must have been a break-out performance for De Niro and the start of a long and happy relationship with Scorsese. He plays a man on edge, you don’t know whether he is going to lash out and hit someone or burst into tears. It’s an emotional performance for sure, despite the seemingly tough character he portrays. The music is what makes the movie, and I think it’s what most of the budget went towards too. The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes and The Marvelettes lead the line in a celebratory sound track. The camerawork feels ahead of its time too, with handheld camera shots that make it a far more personal film. They took me by surprise and made it feel like a modern indie film rather than a 70s gangster (ish) movie. The scene where Charlie is drunk for example is like a GoPro shot of today. The innovative camerawork, classic backing track and excellent acting make this film one of the best.

Acting                              4 / 4
Writing                             3 / 4
Cinematography            3.5 / 4
Music                               4 / 4
HWF rating               3.5 / 4

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