"Mean Streets" (1973) - Movie Review

One of the earliest movies of Martin Scorcese and we notice where it all started. A character which puts up with the persons who react before thinking. The central character hangs out with them even though the other character becomes totally out of control and no sense of consequences at all. The attachment in between them is unexplainable but it is immaturity in the name of honour, trust and friendship. School kids know better about the realities of life than these souls. Poor Charlie does not understand it.

Charlie (Harvey Keitel) works as a trusted man for his Uncle Giovanni (Cesare Danova). It is all about reputation in Little Italy of New York. Giovanni has a good reputation which needs to be maintained by Charlie. Charlie hangs out with Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro). His other friends include Tony (David Proval) who runs the bar and Michael (Richard Romanus). It is tough to define “friends” out here. They fight for small things and forget it the next moment. Then immediately bounce back in fighting again. Watching those is watching small kids fighting over who is powerful or who got hurt by words or who did not return the pen. Of course Michael loaned more than a pen to Johnny which he demands the pay back. Kids do not think before they act. Conscience is developed once they think about their act. Here everything is momentary. They live for the next minute. For a moment if he can hide from the loan sharks is what Johnny thinks, for a moment if he can wash away the dirty work he is doing is what Charlie thinks, for a moment if Johnny can give some money to assure him that he is not screwing him off is what Michael thinks and for a moment Tony thinks if he can run things around in his club like the way he wants. But everyone develops a temporary memory issue. They do not of course forget the big issues and deal with it when it comes. The way they deal is something no one is aware of including themselves. These are the shambled deck of cards of the mean streets.

Charlie is among these people and he clearly understands his actions. He talks to himself, goes to church in search of absolving his sins he is committing in his daily life. He realizes that it is not much of help. As he says, confession to priest are just words. He wants to do the absolving in his way. His way is to protect Johnny. Johnny is the guy to whom every one would have loaned money. Because he looks charming and acts accordingly when work needs to be done and does not hesitate to lie and earn the trust. Every one suggests Charlie to stay away from him and this in turn actually becomes a project for Charlie. Charlie thinks he is the saviour for the lost wretched soul of Johnny. He believes that by properly covering up and talking some sense to Johnny he might just escape hell. What Charlie does not understand is that he is trying the clean the ditch in a city of ditch. He does not realize that he needs to become clean by coming out of it before thinking about the real problem. He takes up the righteous position and tries to strike truce in between Michael and Johnny. Truly lost one here is Charlie.

The stylistic slow motion shot when De Niro enters the bar with two girls while Keitel looks at him is a classic. I have seen dozen of those shots in the later movies and to see the holy grail of the original feels pure. The work of the camera is truly path breaking even for the times of high technical picturization in the current world of cinema. Watching Scorcese’s latest movie “The Departed” and this one shows the same employment of theme which is his presentation. The ambience is thick in substance and gloomy enough to creep out.

“Mean Streets” shows the start of a legend in movie making. Scorcese creates sympathy for Charlie not for his attempt in protecting Johnny going vain but for how lost he is. He wants to make up for his stained life but does not get the right guidance. The failure of him is due to the unknown nature of finding his conscience. We cannot blame him for that because he is too egoistic to ask for guidance apart from church and in fact got the sense of being the nice guy among the group which constantly generates enemies.

Charlie is also bothered about his lady love Teresa (Amy Robinson) which will spoil his reputation. What is this “reputation”? The respect earned by means of having a livelihood so aware of others and their words, it loses its meaning. When it is termed as “reputation” and been put on a podium to be earned, there is no “respect” to be earned. “Mean Streets” is the short pathetic story of two messed up individuals in a neighbourhood of no guidance. Johnny is too screwed up to look the unknown good will of Charlie while Charlie is too confused to look the screwed up devil in Johnny. In those live the lost souls.