96/100

This was my first Scorsese joint, and for many years after that knockout viewing on Late-Night TV, it was my personal favorite film of his. It has a reckless, dangerous, and innocent energy that dances through every image, but the eventual tragedy is birthed from the discovery of harsh realities.

It was, and still is, an incredibly sensual work. Every location, from dive bars to pool halls, is lit with the same evocative sense of boyish clumsiness and the furious snap of touchy emotion. Fights and arguments explode without warning or tension. All of a sudden, everyone is punching and kicking, screaming with youthful rage.

By the end, the film is so overwhelming in its singular feistiness that it seems like the world surrounding its characters will collapse. Too bad the only recognition they receive is the sight of drawn curtains in the dead of night.

Happy birthday Marty.

96

(35mm)

"Honorable men go with honorable men."

You've never seen the color red until you've seen Mean Streets on celluloid.

Martin Scorsese's Breathless, an unfocused, unwieldy, and undeniably charismatic source of raw kinetic energy straight into the vein of American cinema.

With Mean Streets, Scorsese plants the seeds for his future sprawling crime epics. He even plays extensively with musical pairings, matching and maybe even surpassing those found in his later works. I loved the shot of Keitel hooked in a close-up as he drunkenly stumbles around to 60s pop blaring in the crimson background.

It's also interesting to see his characteristic Catholic guilt take a spotlight in Harvey Keitel's character.

I defer to Kehr: "Martin Scorsese's intrusive insistence on his abstract, metaphysical theme—the possibility of modern sainthood—marks this 1973 film, his first to attract critical notice, as still somewhat immature, yet the acting and editing have such an original, tumultuous force that the picture is completely gripping."

P.S. One thing I've always loved is the way De Niro's character moves through space; he's "disrespectfully" vertical, jumping up on pool tables tables and couches. The other characters (esp. Keitel) stay respectfully horizontal; even during fistfights, they continue to obey the basic rules of how people are supposed to move around a room.

crazy how much i love the soundtrack that I was distracted from focusing on the film itself in some instances

A small-time hood aspires to work his way up the ranks of a local mob.

Obviously showing the building blocks of what was to become, but still worthy of the Scorsese name.

روبرت دي نيرو ممثل عظيم ❤

scorsese is literally the best filmmaker that has ever lived, there's not even a discussion

Film 86/100:

Characters 18/20
 
Cinematography 11/15

Direction 14/15

Acting 13/15

Story 12/15

Music 9/10

Script 9/10

This is the first "good" film I've seen from Scorsese. Everything else I've seen is either great or masterpiece. It is understandable because it is one of his earliest films and you can definitely see the passion and certain styles that would go on to define his work but the story and characters weren't anything too mind blowing even though they are played very well.

it’s good acting, directing, and like aesthetic wise but it just wasn’t interesting at all like why should i care about people getting shot or killed when i haven’t been given a single reason to care about them

“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.”
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-mean-streets-1973

Directing - 9/10
Writing - 6/10
Cast and Characters - 7/10
Production Value - 5/10
Cinematography - 10/10
Pacing - 7/10
Visuals - 9/10
Music - 10/10
Rewatch Value - 6/10
Overall Enjoyment - 7/10

Final Score - 76/100