Review of Mean Streets (1973) by Andrew R — 29 Jun 2011

Martin Scorsese is seriously a master of film, even in this, his third film, it's evident. This is a masterpiece. A true work of art. Everything about it is just about perfect. The story. The acting. The camerawork. The timing with the music. Everything. It's simply a great film, and it will go down as history forever as one.

In their youth Keitel and De Niro are fantastic. Their performances are probably some of the most truthful I've ever seen, and that alone is fascinating. On their own they're great, but together they're outstanding. Amazing. Maybe it's the writing, the directing, or a mixture of everything this film has to offer, but those two are just great.

The cinematography, as we've seen in most other Scorsese films, is, like just about everything else, amazing. It cuts perfectly, with a certain adventurous quality but with enough care to show that it was definitely thought about. And certain cuts happen on the beats of the songs - which to this day is influential in modern work. The soundtrack fits perfectly, all popular music of the era.