Mean Streets (1973)

	Directed by: Martin Scorsese	COUNTRY USA GENRE Crime/Drama/Action NORWEGIAN TITLE På skyggesiden RUNNING TIME 110 minutes
	Produced by: Jonathan T. Taplin
	Written by: Martin Scorsese Mardik Martin

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Charlie	Harvey Keitel
Johnny Boy	Robert De Niro	½
Teresa	Amy Robinson
Tony	David Proval	½
Michael	Richard Romanus
Giovanni	Cesare Danova	-
Mario	Victor Argo	-
Joey	George Memmoli	-
Jimmy	Lenny Scaletta	-
Diane	Jeannie Bell	-
Drunk	David Carradine	-
Gunman	Robert Carradine	-

Review

Martin Scorsese draws inspiration from Jean-Luc Godard in this thematic follow-up to Who's That Knocking at My Door. We're brought back to New York's Little Italy, where small-time crooks and gangsters try to find a way to enjoy life – or rather get by. The film has a stripped-down realism, which is at times stirring, but its unnarrative, dense tone makes it a strenuous experience, especially as Scorsese centres the film's conflict around the no-good Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), whom nobody really cares for – and understandably so. Harvey Keitel's character is by far the film's most interesting, and it is through him, in the more relaxed moments, that Mean Streets comes alive as an atmospheric portrait. Scorsese demonstrates an abundance of flair and technical resourcefulness, but the film is too tapered and laborious to truly engage. There is little joy either in front of or behind the camera, and the result is ultimately more style than substance – more snapshot than complete work of art. With Paul Schrader's help, Scorsese had far more to say with Taxi Driver three years later.