Product: Mean Streets (1973)
Rating: 4.0
Vintage Scorcese film foreshaddows an illustrious career
First off, I should say that this film is most enjoyable to watch. You really get a sense of what NY streets are all about. There is no intricate story here, however,the charactor development is exceptional. The viewer gets to know Tony (David Provol), Harvey Keitel and Deniro's (Johnny Boy)charactors. There is an underlying message of loyalty and friendship in the midst of a daily life struggle to make a buck. Scamming some teenagers out of $20.00 seems to be a highlight to a full day of running numbers and collecting on debts. There is a simplicity in this lifestyle that illustrates the precise mind set that these charactors have. There are shots in this film that certainly layed the groundwork for Goodfellas and Taxi Driver. Scorcese went on to make Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore just to escape a stereotype image of making hard core films. Thank someone for Scorcese's urge to get back to what he does best. If Mean Streets was a training ground for making films that would become many peoples top 10 fav's than it must be a film making blueprint that should not go under rated. By the way, I did notice some distortion in some of the audio tracks; like Be my Baby the film opener. Otherwise, the transfer is excellent; better than you would expect. In the scene where Keitel and Amy Robinson are walking down the hall way, there is some film dropout that is noticeable. Scorcese went to great lengths to remaster this film and re-released in theaters two years ago for a limited run. As DVD viewers we get to benefit from those efforts. This is a DVD worth owning, no question about it.