Review of Mean Streets (1973) by Melvin W — 23 Apr 2011

Scorcese's entry into the realm of modern gangsters is a pure delight, one where he even manages to pull the trigger himself. It was also odd seeing De Niro as the supporting actor, leaving Harvey Keitel to charm the audience as the lovable rogue. The score is also something that would become synonymous with Scorcese?M)s delights and it is used to great effect here.

I loved the way the film was plotted. It was hard to know what the arc would be and it seemed to mostly be a slice of life portrayal from Harvey Keitel?M)s perspective. Anything could be possible, especially with De Niro being a timebomb ready to explode. For all the friendliness there constantly exists the threat that terrible violence will strike out at any second. It is a tense feeling. Even when the main points began to emerge there was no clear conclusion and many issues were simply left unresolved.

The film is shot in a semi documentary feel to it, trying to capture the sense of the city and its inhabitants. The blood red lights of the bar add a violent atmosphere to the quasi cheerfulness of its customers. The sequence showing all the characters living their separate discontent lives is quite powerful and captures the feel of a city. The constant bigoted responses against blacks, Jewish and epilepsy also add a level of grittiness. This is countered against the friendly nature of the gangsters and the odd moments including two overtly gay characters travelling in the car with the gangsters post-murder.

This is certainly a Scorcese film through and though and stronger in many ways by being less polished. The religious overtones exist throughout Mean Streets but are thankfully never called up in a plot centric nature. It also goes meta with his love of films compelling the characters themselves to watch films.

As mentioned the pacing and direction of the film is the highlight. The actors all create memorable characters. When the brutality finally hits as anticipated, it is both fast and memorable.