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starring: Julie Andleman, Victor Argo, Jeannie Bell, David Carradine, Robert Carradine
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786304457375
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 6304457375
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Release Date: June 17, 1997
Running Time: 112 minutes
Sales Rank: 22407
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: October 14, 1973
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
After Martin Scorsese went to Hollywood in 1972 to direct the low-budget Boxcar Bertha for B-movie mogul Roger Corman, the young director showed the film to maverick director John Cassavetes and got an instant earful of urgent advice. 'It's crap,' said Cassavetes in no uncertain terms, 'now go out and make something that comes from your heart.' Scorsese took the advice and focused his energy on Mean Streets, a riveting contemporary film about low-life gangsters in New York's Little Italy that critic Pauline Kael would later call 'a true original, and a triumph of personal filmmaking.' Starring Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in roles that announced their talent to the world, it set the stage for Scorsese's emergence as one of the greatest American filmmakers. Introducing themes and character types that Scorsese would return to in Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Casino, and other films, the loosely structured story is drawn directly from Scorsese's background in the Italian neighborhoods of New York, and it seethes with the raw vitality of a filmmaker who has found his creative groove. As the irresponsible and reckless Johnny Boy, De Niro offers striking contrast to Keitel's Charlie, who struggles to reconcile gang life with Catholic guilt. More of an episodic portrait than a plot-driven crime story, Mean Streets remains one of Scorsese's most direct and fascinating films--a masterful calling card for a director whose greatness was clearly apparent from that point forward. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - City Life
I have seen this film over and over. It reminds me of my youth growing up in Brooklyn, NY and the characters one meets in his life time. Great film
Rating: - "You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets."
Orson Welles said that a director's first film was always his best because he would put more into it and hadn't got into bad habits like developing a style yet. Mean Streets may not be Scorsese's first film, but it otherwise bears out Welles' words. Set in New York's Little Italy, Harvey Keitel plays Michael, who exists on the fringes of crime and whose dreams of managing a restaurant his money-lending uncle is about to take over are threatened by his affair with his epileptic cousin (Amy Robinson) ... Read More
Rating: - Scorsese's Masterpiece
If Melville's crime films defined cool, then Martin Scorsese's breakthrough Mean Streets became the trademark of his crime films which defined grit. Mean Streets remains Scorsese's most deeply personal and autobiographical film, as well as his masterpiece. The immigrant culture of Little Italy and the atmosphere of New York City, the Catholic themes of sin and redemption, and daily urban life all became recurrent themes throughout his entire oeuvre. Plus, the use of street language, radical and revolutionary ... Read More
Rating: - In some ways, Scorsese's best
Goodfellas must be seen by all film students and half the rest of the population, though the violence and MTV-effect soundtrack can be off-putting and create a strange curiosity outside the framework for viewers. Is that curiosity an indicator that we all have that "dark side" - some of us contain it, some don't; some won't.
This 1973 movie, with its' modest production values, has some scenes so penetrating, so memorable, that the viewer must rewind constantly to convince him or herself somethimg so "real" ... Read More
Rating: - Epic Crime / Gangster Film from 1973
This is an American Classic! One of the best films ever on the subject of organized crime. The thing that strikes me most about this film, the thing that really stands out to me is the way it was filmed. Scorsese does an awesome job of letting the audience make up their own judgments against each of the characters. He doesn't push you to either like or dislike any of the characters. The story follows a group of friends through the streets of New York and lets you observe how they come together and drift apart ... Read More
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