Mean Streets (1973)

I am always looking to catch some classic films to kind of learn where some actors and directors have come from and how they got to be where they are. I had never really seen a lot of Martin Scorcese's (The Irishman) early films so when I saw that Netflix had the 1973 film Mean Streets I had to check it out for today. The film stars Harvey Keitel (Thelma & Louise) as Charlie, an up and coming wannabe mob guy who will do anything to please his Uncle and get himself some street credit. All of that is put to the test for Charlie when things start going south due to friends who can't seem to keep their heads on straight and relationships that he is embarrassed to address in front of anyone. The film also stars Robert De Niro (Hands Of Stone) as Johnny Boy, David Proval (The Shawshank Redemption) as Tony, Amy Robinson (From Hell) as Teresa, Richard Romanus (Point Of No Return) as Michael, Cesare Danova (National Lampoon's Animal House) as Giovanni, Victor Argo (King Of New York) as Mario, George Memmoli (Phantom Of The Paradise) as Joey,  Jeannie Bell (TNT Jackson) as Diane, David Carradine (Kill Bill Vol. 1) as Drunk, and Robert Carradine (Mom Got A Date With A Vampire) as Boy With Gun.

The film felt like it was a journey in the life of low level wannabe gangsters and the shenanigans that they do while trying to build some cred. I have seen Robert De Niro at just about every level of the gangster tier and he definitely does not disappoint as the irresponsible Johnny Boy who likes to borrow money without paying it back to everyone so he puts Charlie in a real bind. It was also a film that I had a real hard time figuring out who was in charge in this film the whole time because it seemed like different guys took charge in different scenes so the hierarchy was a little messed up. Scorcese once again shows his love for The Rolling Stones in this film, but instead of using the usual track, we hear Jumpin Jack Flash in this film which was a nice change from the usual. I'd be interested to see how many Scorcese films actually featuring Rolling Stones tracks, but we could always do that some other time when I actually care enough to keep track. I loved the cinematography because you can sort of see Scorcese's signature all over this film and for the most part the acting was really well done. Keitel was of course very good in the film and David Proval was great as well, but in second place behind De Niro was definitely Richard Romanus who I kept thinking was hi brother Robert Romanus from Fast Times At Ridgemont High. A lot of cool actors seemed to get their start here, but like I said it was a decent film that I think is worth checking out if you are a fan of Scorcese. So, I am going to give the movie an B+ for a final grade.