Released in 1973, Mean Streets feels like the moment when Martin Scorsese truly arrived. Before this film he had shown promise, but Mean Streets was the movie that put his name on the map. It is rough around the edges, sometimes chaotic, and far less polished than his later work, but that is exactly why it feels so real and powerful.
The film was directed by Martin Scorsese, and you can already see many of the themes and ideas that would define his career. Crime, guilt, loyalty, violence, religion, and self destruction are all here. The movie has an energy that never lets up, and it feels deeply personal.
Harvey Keitel stars as Charlie, a small time hood trying to make his way through the streets of Little Italy. Charlie wants to move up in the local mob world, but he is also trying to balance his conscience and his loyalty to the people around him. Keitel gives a terrific performance, quiet and thoughtful, but always carrying a sense of inner conflict.
Robert De Niro plays Johnny Boy, and this is the performance that made him a star. Johnny Boy is reckless, immature, and completely out of control. He borrows money he cannot repay, insults dangerous people, and seems almost determined to destroy himself. De Niro is electric in the role. Every time he appears on screen, you cannot take your eyes off him.
The chemistry between Keitel and De Niro is one of the best parts of the film. Charlie cares about Johnny Boy and keeps trying to save him, even though it is obvious Johnny Boy is only making things worse. Their friendship drives the entire story.
The plot is fairly simple. Charlie spends his days trying to keep the peace between his friends, his family, and the local gangsters. At the same time, Johnny Boy continues making dangerous enemies and refusing to take responsibility for anything. You know from early on that this story cannot possibly end well.
What makes Mean Streets stand out is that it does not feel like a typical gangster movie. There are no big mob bosses or elaborate crime schemes. Instead, the film focuses on everyday people living in a small neighborhood and making bad decisions. That smaller scale gives the movie a very different feel.
Scorsese also does a great job showing the atmosphere of Little Italy. The bars, the streets, the apartments, and the clubs all feel real. You can almost smell the cigarette smoke and hear the music coming from every corner.
The film is also full of great music. Scorsese uses songs throughout the movie in a way that feels natural and adds even more personality to the scenes. That would become one of his trademarks in later films.
Keitel gives the movie its emotional center. Charlie is trying to be a good person, but he is surrounded by people and situations pulling him in the wrong direction. His struggle between loyalty and survival makes him a fascinating character.
De Niro, though, is impossible to forget. Johnny Boy is funny, irritating, reckless, and dangerous all at once. It is one of the great early performances in film history.
Mean Streets may not be as polished or famous as later Scorsese classics like Goodfellas or Casino, but it is just as important. This is where so much of his style began.
The film also deserves credit for how honest it feels. Scorsese grew up around people like these, and you can tell. Nothing feels fake or exaggerated. The characters feel like real people.
Mean Streets remains an excellent film because it captures a world and a group of people with incredible honesty and energy. It is messy, intense, and unforgettable.
More than fifty years later, it still stands as one of the great crime films and one of the true classics of the seventies.