Review of Mean Streets (1973) by Arth J — 09 Dec 2018

Scorsese's equations for raunchy narrow minded brother is an awe inspiring formula that works magically as a family drama rather than your usual street boys feud.

Mean Streets.

Scorsese's equations for raunchy narrow minded brother is an awe inspiring formula that works magically as a family drama rather than your usual street boys feud. He has created a dysfunctional family drama that is explored in an ironic tone that leans towards intense life changing dram as it ages on screen. In here, the money making business, the mob mentality, cutthroat politics and guns blazing all over the street is mere distraction. And boy what a distraction it is, his well placed and edited antics leaves your eyes popped and jaws dropped. Prepare to be amazed to this ultimate grounded tale of friends and foes.

Especially all these long sequences that Scorsese creates, like a petty fight sequence in a pool hub or couple of hot heads fighting over a moot point, such genre has always been his forte and it is at its peak in here. Amongst these huge melodrama fiction, lies an honest and moving brotherhood relationship between De Niro and Keitel, where they play with heavy machinery as a joke or bicker over nonsense topics or negotiate finance as a ten years old. These are the moments that steals the show. Keitel as the arguably responsible and mature guy trying to hold this scattered surrounding of his with one direction is both funny and impressive.

But of course the show stealer is De Niro in his mischievous cloak where he defies to take any situation seriously and as a storyteller Scorsese makes it the most essential bit; he is the trickster after all. Set over the course of multiple characters and different episodes, the narration has the heart in its right place with fair justifying trial where everyone is put on a stand. Mean Streets is not that mean, as in it's not the darkest tale to come out of Scorsese's basket although it is one of the best.