...a gritty, one-of-a-kind, unromantic, down-and-dirty look at the streets of New York like no film had portrayed those streets and their people before.
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Observant readers of DVD Town will note that when my good friend and associate, Tim Raynor, reviewed the previous edition of "Mean Streets," he did not like it very much. So, for an alternative perspective on the movie, I suggest you read his remarks as well as mine. You can find our archived reviews either by doing a "Search" at the top of the page or by checking under the "Reviews" tab and then "All Reviews A-Z."
Martin Scorsese's 1973 crime thriller may not seem like anything terribly unusual today, but thirty-odd years ago when it was made it was a marvel--a gritty, one-of-a-kind, unromantic, down-and-dirty look at the streets of New York like no film had portrayed those streets and their people before. It became a trendsetting movie for its sharp commentary and unrelenting realism. OK, I lie. It's still down-and-dirty, it's still sharp, and it's still unrelenting, even by our most cynical, postmodern standards.
It's not a film for story continuity or conventional narrative, but it's a gripping film, nonetheless. Therefore, don't expect a plot as such. This is a story of atmosphere, characterizations, and character relationships. The story merely follows its characters through several days of trials and tribulations, capturing the ambiance of their lives and their neighborhoods in bold, pragmatic, hard-boiled detail. Later in his filmmaking career, the director would add more story line to his films, for things like "Goodfellas" and "Casino," for instance; but that alone doesn't necessarily make them better movies. "Mean Streets" is the film Scorsese cut his teeth on (discounting "Box Car Bertha" for Roger Corman and a couple of lesser things before that).
Scorsese has said he based the movie's characters on people he knew growing up in New York's "Little Italy," and while he has also said he's often been criticized for portraying these characters as gangster-related, he insists that all the people he grew up with were, in fact, touched in one way or another by the Mob. True, the characters in "Mean Streets" are penny-ante crooks, but organized crime is always clearly in the background. Besides, at least one of these questionable characters eventually became a famous filmmaker.
The movie's pivotal character is Charlie Cappa, played by Harvey Keitel in only his second major film appearance. Charlie is not your ordinary cheap hood. He's morally and spiritually conflicted. He believes in God, but he isn't so sure about the Church. He knows right from wrong, but he often chooses the wrong and feels guilty for it. He works for his Mob boss uncle, Giovanni Cappa (Cesare Danova), collecting extortion money from local businesses. Yet everyone seems to like him because he's a genuinely sweet soul. He never uses a gun, and he avoids fights. What's more, although he was raised in a prejudiced environment, he sees no differences among people, wishing to go out with a black dancer, for example, and secretly dating an epileptic woman whom his cronies reject. Lastly, he is a typically confirmed man of the city; he tells us he hates the sun, hates the beach, and hates the ocean. It's all asphalt, nighttime, and nightclubs for him, a genuine man of the streets.
More important, Charlie looks after his friend, the hotheaded John "Johnny Boy" Civello, played by Robert De Niro. Johnny is truly a bum, always borrowing money from people, always gambling and losing, too lazy for a real job and too dumb to work even for the Mob. Yet like the other young men in the area, Johnny puts up a good front, a show of having plenty and living high. More than once Charlie has had to get Johnny out of a tight spot, but it can't go on forever.
Among Charlie's other friends are, first, the aforementioned epileptic woman, Teresa Ronchelli (Amy Robinson), with whom Charlie has become involved against the wishes of his uncle and his friends. She also happens to be Johnny's cousin. Second, there's a bar owner, Tony De Vienazo (David Proval). And, third, there's a small-time black marketeer and loan shark, Michael Longo (Richard Romanus). Johnny is into Michael for several thousand dollars, and Michael is impatient to get it back. Charlie is stuck in the middle trying to placate both sides.
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