Scorsese is my favorite director. Goodfellas, Age of Innocence, Taxi Driver and Gangs of New York are in my top 25 favorites of all-time. With that context in mind:
Mean Streets was OK, but nothing special. Keitel and De Niro did well, as did some others. It was realistic. It just felt like a rough draft, and there wasn't enough story to really grab me.
To me, the fact that it does feel a bit like a "rough draft", is one of its charms. It´s so alive, bursting with energy and creativity, so a certain lack of polish goes with the territory.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
Mean Streets is special... to me.
Scorsese was still trying to establish himself as a director when he made this, and I think he put out one helluva film. When he made The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York however, he was already one of the best film-makers to have ever live... yet that was the best he could come up with? I expected better from Scorsese.
The prostitution rests. - Kelly Bundy
What´s wrong with The Age Of Innocence? I think it´s a fine enough period piece by Marty. But, yeah, he really did take a big nosedive come the 21st century with Gangs, The Aviator, Sh-tter Island and Hugo all belonging to his all-time bottom 5 as far as I´m concerned.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
he really did take a big nosedive come the 21st century with Gangs, The Aviator, Sh-tter Island and Hugo all belonging to his all-time bottom 5 as far as I´m concerned.
I don´t think Gangs or Aviator - or perhaps even Hugo - are necessarily ´bad´ movies, but they do seriously suffer in comparison with a vast majority of his earlier work. They don´t even look or feel like Scorsese movies. At any rate, I take the energetic, inspired early works such as Alice Don´t Live Here Anymore or New York New York, as flawed as they may be - which is not ´that´ flawed, really - anyday over these overproduced late period mediocrities.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
I loved 'Shutter, but have zero interest in seeing The Aviator, the only reason would be that Scorsese is my favourite director. Mean Streets is my 5th favourite Scorsese, 20th favourite film of all time, really a stunning achievement.
'Loneliness has followed me my whole life' - Travis Bickle Taxi Driver
I'm surprised by all the hate The Aviator gets.
I saw it with no preconceived notions a few months ago, and thought it was quite good, with Leo DiCaprio giving an absolutely fantastic performance and lots of beautiful cinematography.
I loved Hugo. Did not expect scorsese to direct such a film.
Really refreshing in my opinion.
I really liked Gangs of New York.
The Departed also came out in the "21st century".
Shutter Island and The Aviator I feel the same way. Not his best.
At all.
I totally agree about Gangs. That movie has terrible. I wasted 3 hours of my life watching that *beep* that I'll never get back.
shareI recently saw 'Mean Streets' again after many years. It still stays fresh and powerful, despite its flaws. I remember seeing it in a movie theatre, so many years ago. What an experience - for that time!
Now, when I watched it again, on DVD, there was the director's commentary. Martin Scorses refers to some things that he did - using rock music (his own vinyl, it turns out) - and mentioning that some other director did it before him. Thing is, that director was no one whose films I had seen. It was some 'artsy' director whose film didn't come to my local theatre. This makes 'Mean Streets' all the more important to me. I didn't watch Kenneth Anger films, but here was a Martin Scorsese film and it was terrific.
Now, all this other stuff has followed, all the other Scorsese films I've enjoyed, but I have to remember: this was the first. And it still holds up very, very well.
My favorite scene in the movie is Harvey Keitel moving through the crowd in the night club, with the camera following behind him, seeing past his shoulders. I believe the strippers onstage are dancing to a Rolling Stones song, and Keitel goes onstage to dance with them. Before that, you see a panorama pass by, beyond him, as drunk patrons laugh and everyone is sloppily having fun. He's 'digging it,' too!
Maybe that kind of shot was done before, but it was the first extended view like that in a film - for me - and I still remember it and still love it.
The script is a piece of crap and that's the point - it's the director's demo reel. He shows how he can keep the mood tense in every scene, how he can get these performances from the actors. It's a movie designed by Scorsese to attract other talent and projects. It's as if he's saying "Look what I did with this nonsensical script, imagine what wonders I could do with a good one".
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Mball -
The first time I saw Mean Streets, I thought the same as you. I would like to tell you to give it another chance because it is truly a movie that gets better every time you watch it.
It's a matter of taste. I loved Mean Streets but I didn't care much for Taxi Driver which I found unrealistic and boring. So, different folks...
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