Review of Mean Streets (1973) by Brian F — 07 Jan 2013

Watching Mean Streets through the lens of today's cinema-going experience is a bit tough. It's not an easy film. It's slow-paced, rambling and quite rough around the edges. The lighting is poor and the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. Yet there's something likeable and engaging about it. This was Martin Scorsese's first feature film, one of the most important directors in American film history, so it's not a work to be ignored. The soundtrack of popular music songs, which today would seem like normal fayre, was considered ground-breaking in its day. Its docu-drama style with improvised scenes lends it a certain realistic charm, but above all it's the riveting performance of De Niro as Johnny Boy that is the real draw. It's this performance that holds the whole picture together, otherwise this would be a dull, below average movie.

However, one suspects that a lot of its greatness is derived from what Scorsese subsequently achieved, rather than its inherent qualities. There's no getting away from it. Mean Streets is a very talented offering from a film student working on a meagre budget, but as a standalone feature it's far from the classic that others would have you believe.