Mean Streets (DVD 2005)

DE NIROS PORTRAYAL OF THE STREETS OF NEW YORK IN THE EARLY 1970'S IS TRULY MAGNIFICENT. IT'S SCAREY, RAW AND GRITTY - BUT THE START OF DE NIROS LONG AND WONDERFUL CAREER. AND NOT TO FORGET KEITEL - HIS ACTING IS JUST AS BRILLIANT AS DE NIROS. A MUST FOR ANYONES COLLECTION. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

I've never been to the Bronx. I live in Surrey. But Scorsese's gritty and often frightening vision of the Bronx in Mean Streets verges on the autobiographical and is incredibly believable. Launching De Niro into Hollywood, who would have thought in 1973 that a year later he would win an Oscar? His performance is electric, and Keitel is impressive also. Amy Robinson, now a producer, is quietly touching as Charlie's epileptic girlfriend.

Low on plot but high on tension and drama, this film is exhausting to watch and unforgettable.

I bought the film since I wished to see some of the early acting of two now remarkable and famous actors and their director.
The film is now very dated and if I did not know of either actor I would have said that Harvey Keitel was far more impressive than de Niro.
For its time I suppose it was groundbreaking and is useful as a record of a period now over 30 years ago.