Mean Streets

Mean Streets is a 1973 film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. The movie is part of a informal trilogy, with Goodfellas and Casino.

Martin Scorsese had made two films before Mean Streets: Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967) and Boxcar Bertha, but this was the film that proved to the world that Scorsese was a special breed of filmmaker: original, volatile, personal, and brilliant. Mean Streets was heavily inspired by events he saw growing up in Little Italy, but the style of filmmaking on display is a kinetic fusion of Scorsese's biggest influences: Powell & Pressburger, Kenneth Anger, John Cassavetes, but with a speed and assurance that would ultimately define Scorsese as a filmmaker. Harvey Keitel shines as Charlie Cappa, but Robert De Niro is the true breakout start as Johnny Boy, a frequently careless low-level gangster who Charlie remains loyal to, in spite of all the trouble he causes.

Mean Streets was added to the National Film Registry in 1997.

Tropes used in Mean Streets include:

The Gambling Addict: Charlie's friend Johnny Boy plays small-time and owes money to loan sharks.
The Mafia: Charlie works for Giovanni, the local "capo", but want to move higher in the ranks.

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