On M List of Movie Reviews

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Mean Streets (1973)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 7/03, 3/14

Mean
3/14: Mean Streets is a long, boring, pointless, and plotless mob movie.

It's all about waiting for Johnny Boy to be killed because he's such a fuckup. And I never get to know why. At any rate, Johnny Boy deserves it because, my goodness, he's so annoying. I was hoping he would die already. None of the characters is likeable, either.

On the other hand, the acting isn't a problem because everybody has been good. Yet this alone isn't enough to make the film. It must have a plot to sustain my attention. Now, take away Robert De Niro and insert somebody else to play his character; the result is: there's no difference. The reason why Robert De Niro received so much rave is that he's Robert De Niro.

The irony is, although Mean Streets is painted as a New York City picture, it was shot on location in Los Angeles. Another is women in a go-go bar are supposed to be topless, but they're covered up as much as possible. The silly religion theme has to dominate the show throughout while Harvey Keitel's character is a pyromaniac. What's the deal with the black cop arguing about a stupid, silly penknife? It's just a freaking penknife! The nadir is hearing the following amounts: thirty bucks, five bucks, ten bucks, one buck, and twenty bucks. Oh, come on. Give me a break.

All in all, Mean Streets is an overrated Scorsese picture that should be viewed as a launching pad for him to send a message to everybody in Hollywood, "See! I can make a film! Now, give me the fucking budget that I need."