Mean Streets
| Mean Streets | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Martin Scorsese |
| Produced by | Jonathan T. Taplin |
| Written by | Martin Scorsese Mardik Martin |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Martin Scorsese |
| Cinematography | Kent L. Wakeford |
| Edited by | Sidney Levin |
|
Production
company |
Taplin - Perry - Scorsese Productions
|
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
|
Release date
|
October 2, 1973 |
|
Running time
|
112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000 |
| Box office | $3 million |
Mean Streets is a 1973 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese and co-written by Scorsese and Mardik Martin. The film stars Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. It was released by Warner Bros. on October 2, 1973. De Niro won the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as John "Johnny Boy" Civello.
In 1997, Mean Streets was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2015, the film was ranked 93 on the BBC's "The 100 greatest American films" list.
Charlie (Harvey Keitel) is a young Italian-American man who is trying to move up in the local New York Mafia but is hampered by his feeling of responsibility towards his reckless younger friend Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), a small-time gambler who owes money to many loan sharks. Charlie works for his uncle Giovanni (Cesare Danova), the local caporegime, mostly collecting debts. He is also having a secret affair with Johnny Boy's cousin Teresa (Amy Robinson), who has epilepsy and is ostracized because of her condition—especially by Charlie's uncle. Charlie's uncle, a dignified man who takes his role as caporegime seriously, also wants Charlie not to be such close friends with Johnny, saying "Honorable men go with honorable men."
Charlie is torn between his devout Catholicism and his Mafia ambitions. As the film progresses, Johnny becomes increasingly self-destructive and disrespectful of his creditors. Failing to receive redemption in the church, Charlie seeks it through sacrificing himself on Johnny's behalf.
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Wikipedia