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.

me, running up to martin scorsese: for $1, name a woman

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.

maybe i wasnt paying enough attention but it was gay

“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.” 

First tine watch with this movie and I didn’t really know what to expect. This movie really does hinge on Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel’s chemistry with each other. Their performances are done really well, as well is the whole film for an early low budget crime film in the 70s. I throughly enjoyed the witty dialogue that is done.  Martin Scorsese of course does great directing wise. Overall I think this story is just about a man seeking forgiveness for the things he’s done in life. I just felt though that it is mostly dialogue and no action or bug turning points or dramatic scenes. I did however enjoy end scene.

The Rosetta Stone of what would come later in Scorsese's filmography.

The most exciting thing about this movie is seeing Scorsese coming into his own as a filmmaker, though he's not quite there yet. Mean Streets is a film that oozes potential, but it's too rough, too unpolished to be considered a masterpiece. But that specific rawness is what makes it so charming in the first place.

Great soundtrack

This feels like a Scorese movie

Every bit as spontaneous and electrifying as I imagine it was in 1973. Bobby D. is so good in this, it makes me fucking angry. AYE, AYE... it’s beeeeeeutiful.

Though not his first feature-length, I've heard that this is essentially the first "Scorsese Picture." And many of his trademarks are here: Italian-Americans in NYC, (toxic) masculinity, violence, crime, Catholicism, guilt, hoping for redemption, precise editing, impeccable soundtrack selections, etc. And yet it still feels like the work of a budding filmmaker. The movie sort of ambles along, much like the tragic Johnny Boy wanders through the streets of New York. It's easy to go back to this and clearly see that De Niro and Scorsese had talent but I'm not sure anyone could've guessed what a iconic partnership they would have.

Favorite moment: Johnny Boy walking into the bar with two women in slow motion to The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash." It's probably the most famous shot from the movie and rightfully so. The bar is bathed in red light and it feels like we're descending with Johnny Boy into the bowels of hell.

Bracing, chaotic blast of hot, fresh Scorsese. So full of ideas and feelings that it kinda spills out of the sides like waffle batter. Miraculous but far from perfect.