Product: Mean Streets (1973)
Rating: 5.0
A stunning film that changed the way movies are made
Many critics consider a filmmaker's first film to be by definition his best, saying that he or she never reaches the same level of energy, honesty and raw commitment. While the latter part of the statement may not neccessarily be true in Scorsese's case, the former might just be. Raging Bull is his masterpiece, this defines his oeuvre. Pure Italianamerican, it tells the story of Little Italy and the creatures that inhabit this world: those fated to stay in it, those who try to leave. Into all this is weaved a Catholic subtext of guilt and sin and redemption. Scorsese's visceral, frenetic, visual style, coupled with harsh editing and a soundtrack entering the structure as content as well as style for the first time, Scorsese changed the way movies are made an has influenced a generation. He also established his reputation as an actor's director. A must-see for any film student or film-goer, if only to watch a seminal film finding its place on celluloid's dynamic continuum. Stunning.