Mean Streets
— A sparklingly childish De Niro and some very mature directing.”
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- United States, 1973
It’s only his third feature film, yet Mean Streets is a surprisingly mature work from Scorsese. The machine gun dialogue, the inquisitive camera, the guilt and redemption themes: it’s all there.
As with the first time I saw it years ago, I couldn’t shake off a subtle sense of the comical about the film and Scorsese certainly hasn’t pursued that side of things over the years, except perhaps in The King of Comedy (1983). The fight scene in the pool hall is golden.
And you’ll never see De Niro as animated as in Mean Streets. The youthful electricity prickling him here is extraordinary.
See also:
Gangs Of New York
Vast epic on the lowly origins of the skyscraper city.
- Originally published: 22 Jan 2007 in Film
The Departed
The older generation still runs things round these parts.
- Originally published: 26 Feb 2007 in Film
The Good Shepherd
This dry history of a mystery man’s motivations hides its intelligence rather too well.
- Originally published: 16 Oct 2007 in Film
The Aviator
Like the 1920s lifestyle – expensive but frequently soulless.
- Originally published: 19 Feb 2007 in Film
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