Review of Mean Streets (1973) by Beth P — 09 Jun 2008

Scorsese's debut has it's moments, but they are too few and far between in order for this to stack up with his later masterpieces such as "Goodfellas" and "Raging Bull". Little Italy is home to the "mean streets" in which people tend to get a little scrappy when taking care of business, and it is all shown in gritty detail.

The two main characters here are Robert DeNiro as the irresponsible and slightly crazy Johnny Boy, and Harvey Keitel as his big brother figure Charlie. Together they endure the struggles of family, religion, and a loan shark whose patience begins to wear thin.

There are some ideas and themes to be had in this crime drama, but not much of a plot to push it along. It seems to be unsure of what to examine, Johnny Boy's story or Charlie's, and it instead turns out messy and somewhat incoherent.

I guess it can be better viewed as a chronicling of different lives, but it still leaves things feeling dull at times, with it's array of pointless scenes. Fortunately things pick up towards the end once things become more focused, and we really get to see the leads show off their acting chops.

Although it has it's share of flaws, it's a Scorsese film with Robert DeNiro, so it obviously can't be that bad, but they would go on to work on better projects later on throughout their celebrated careers.