Rent Mean Streets (1973)
3.4 of 5 from 251 ratings
1h 47min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel star as Johnny Boy and Charlie; Italian-American cousins and small time criminals hustling, fighting and carousing, doing whatever it takes to survive in the mean streets of New York. Johnny Boy spends his life getting into trouble, leaving Charlie to get him out of it. Charlie wants to rise up in the local mafia, but when Johnny Boy reneges on a debt, the local loan shark seeks revenge.
- Actors:
- Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, David Proval, Amy Robinson, Richard Romanus, Cesare Danova, Victor Argo, George Memmoli, Lenny Scaletta, Jeannie Bell, Murray Moston, David Carradine, Robert Carradine, Lois Walden, Harry Northup, Dino Seragusa, D'Mitch Davis, Peter Fain, Juli Andelman, Robert Wilder
- Directors:
- Martin Scorsese
- Producers:
- Jonathan T. Taplin
- Writers:
- Martin Scorsese, Mardik Martin
- Studio:
- Universal Pictures
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama
- Collections:
- Award Winners, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Federico Fellini, The Instant Expert's Guide to Martin Scorsese, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Brian De Palma, Top 10 Films With Voiceover Narration, Top Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 18/05/2015
- Run Time:
- 112 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio Commentary Featuring director Martin Scorsese, Actress Amy Robinson and co-writer Mardik Martin
- Vintage Featurette: "Back on the Block"
- Theatrical Trailer
- Alternative Sleeve Artwork
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 15/01/2024
- Run Time:
- 112 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby Digital Stereo, English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Forced, English Hard of Hearing
- DVD Regions:
- Region 0 (All)
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- New audio commentary by Demetrios Matheou (author of BFI Classics Mean Streets) and David Thompson (Co-Editor of Scorsese on Scorsese)
- Scene specific audio commentary with Martin Scorsese and Actor Amy Robinson
- Keep Moving Forward: a new interview with Producer Jonathan T Taplin
- Saints and Sinners: Dr. Catherine Wheatley on 'Mean Streets'
- 2011 Film at Lincoln Center screening introduction, interview, and Q&A with Martin Scorsese
- Mardik: Baghdad to Hollywood feature-length documentary
- Archive featurette: Back on the Block
- Archive featurette: Home Movies
- Trailer
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Reviews (2) of Mean Streets
An overrated gangster movie that is still of interest - Mean Streets review by Philip in Paradiso
The film is focused on the Italian-American community in New York City and its stronghold, Little Italy, and on the goings-on of the Mafia. The main character is Charlie Cappa (Harvey Keitel), a young Italian-American who has good prospects within the crime syndicate that his uncle, Uncle Giovanni, runs locally. When the film starts, Charlie is merely an enforcer who goes round bars, restaurants and other businesses to collect protection money on behalf of the Mafia. Charlie's problem is that he is close to his cousin, John 'Johnny Boy' Civello (Robert DeNiro), who is a reckless and useless troublemaker. Johnny Boy is a small-time gambler and drifter, who has got into debt and owes fast-rising amounts of money he cannot repay to locally based loan sharks. As Charlie tries to defend and protect Johnny Boy, this threatens to damage his own prospects within the family business. Charlie's other problem is Teresa Ronchelli (Amy Robinson), his girlfriend, who is related to Johnny Boy. For various reasons, she does not have a good reputation in the neighbourhood: if Charlie continues dating her and it gets known, again, it will damage his career prospects within organised crime. The film, centred on Charlie's dilemmas and actions, develops from here.
In many ways, it is a good film with a solid storyline. Where the film is particularly good is at re-creating the atmosphere in the Italian-American community, and at showing us how the Mafia operates on a local level, like some kind of innocuous family business where everyone knows everyone, and allegiance is proffered to various figures of authority who run the show. The movie is good at re-creating the insular and claustrophobic character of life in Little Italy. I would say that it is about it. For the rest, I found the movie underwhelming, as the word goes. Apart from the last 20 to 25 minutes, not that much happens: the story goes round and round in circles, it feels. The chief characters - apart from Teresa, in fact - are neither appealing nor interesting. Do not expect flamboyant gangsters: they are small-time thugs and crooks, doing the Mafia's footwork. The disrupter, Johnny Boy, is a vacuous and annoying jerk: there really is no other way to describe him. The adjective 'moron' is used in the film when referring to him.
For some reason, the film is considered a masterpiece and a great classic. I suspect that is because it paved the way for the great films that followed in the same genre: it created a certain type of film that focuses on the US Mafia, glamorizing and trivializing its actions all at once. But the result is, in my personal opinion, average-good, at best, and rather disappointing. The film does not deserve its excellent reputation.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Whilst it's legendary status is without question, for me it was quite hit & miss story-wise - Mean Streets review by Timmy B
In 1973, this film exploded Martin Scorsese, Harvey Keitel & Robert De Niro onto the cinematic & public conscious. The story of mob enforcer Charlie (Keitel) who is attempting to support & shield his unpredictable & highly volatile best friend Johnny Boy (De Niro) from the litany of loan sharks after him for huge debts, whilst still fulfilling his Mafioso duties, has become cinematic legend. It is also interesting to see many of the traits this film has which influenced their next collaboration, Taxi Driver.
But whilst there are many great points, such as the performances (especially De Niro's,) and the incredible on-location shoot, there were many times where the story didn't really go anywhere. There is an absolute & undeniable tension, especially as the film reaches it's conclusion, but there was also a lot of padding which developed the setting but not much else.
One thing to add, as for many film fans me not giving this 5 stars/raving about it is tantamount to sacrilege, is that this is unquestionably a film of its time. But I always review these films honestly, so if I watch it again and feel differently, I will absolutely adjust my review. I did enjoy it, it just didn't hit me the way Taxi Driver & Goodfellas did.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.