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.

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.

A bore. Mostly nothing happens for two hours. Then Scorsese himself comes along and shoots DeNiro.

Early Scorsese is amazing Scorsese.

First time watching this one. I have only heard great things. I will say that this is by far an amazing watch for the simple fact that you can see Scorsese transitioning a lot of his talent from his French New Wave influences into the gritty American gangster film of the 1970's. The film-making, editing, and story all make for a super compelling film.

First off I’m not as big of a Martin Scorsese fan as most cinephiles. Mean Streets is filled with his trademarks that would later define his career, slow motion, camera movement, mafia setting in NY. Acting is phenomenal, with DeNiro being especially fantastic. The plot fees very messy  at times failing to create a strong cohesive plot, however I believe that is kind of the point. The film offers a look into the life of a mafia man coming to grips with the eternal damnation that awaits him after his death. Not Scorsese’s best, but far from his worst.

10/10

Some genuine New York gangster stuff here. The verité style is such a delight to watch here, and the dialogue is deliciously authentic. Harvey Keitel in particular is so much fun on-screen that he leaves nearly everyone else in the dust. Terrific, small scale gangsterism.

I have never really been that much of a fan of Marty’s gangster movies. I respect them, the craftsmanship is clearly there but I often have a hard time watching movies about shitty people, people I cant identify with and what not.

However this is still a good movie no doubt, when you watch this movie you see the seeds of Goodfellas, Casino and other movies.

That being said I don’t really care for the movie, I watch it for De Niro as he owns this movie. Sucks we never got to see him play more shit disturbers.

I enjoyed this film - Scorsese can't make a bad film. It is a bit rough round the edges and I wish it had a clearer story.

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

here is my review: not gay enough