Mean Streets (1973)
89%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 5 nominations
Mean Streets is a powerful tale of urban sin and guilt that marks Scorsese’s arrival as an important cinematic voice and features electrifying performances from Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro
Mean Streets is a classic film that takes you on a wild ride through the gritty streets of New York City. Scorsese’s use of popular music is thrilling and the acting is top-notch, especially from De Niro. It’s not always comfortable to watch, but that’s what makes it so real. Plus, it’s the movie that set Scorsese on course as one of cinema’s great tellers of crime stories. So, grab some popcorn and get ready for a ferocious, grimy ride through the criminal underworld.
Production Company(ies)
Pathé Renn Productions, France 3 Cinéma
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Old St Patrick’s Cathedral – 263 Mulberry Street, Little Italy, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1973
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):English, Italian, German
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1973 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 17, 2004
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, Richard Romanus, Amy Robinson, David Proval, Cesare Danova, directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Martin Scorsese, Mardik Martin, produced by Jonathan T Taplin, crime, drama, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Glenn Kenny, Peter Bradshaw, Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Simon Braund, Nev Pierce, Sean Axmaker, Q.V Hough, Janet Maslin, Victor Pineyro, Robin Holabird, gangsters, loan shark, Little Italy, urban sin, guilt, religious beliefs, criminal activities, lower echelon Mafiosos, unbalanced punks, petty criminals, electrifying performances, influential, soundtrack, improvisation, natural ability, Catholic guilt, maniacal, random fits of rage, intense, unforgettable, captivating, standout, finely crafted, compelling story, redefined the genre, top horror movies, top Netflix series, MCU movies ranked, renewed and cancelled TV shows, worst horror movies of all time, TV premiere dates, accessibility
Worldwide gross: $41,131
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $306,345
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,848
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 33,407
US/Canada gross: $32,645
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $243,141
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,507
US/Canada opening weekend: $32,645
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $243,141
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,600
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,724,018
Production budget ranking: 1,955
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,005,384
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$5,423,056
ROI to date (est.): -95%
ROI ranking: 1,990
Harvey Keitel – Charlie
Richard Romanus – Michael
Amy Robinson – Teresa
David Proval – Tony
Cesare Danova – Giovanni
Director(s)
Martin Scorsese
Writer(s)
Martin Scorsese, Martin Scorsese, Mardik Martin
Producer(s)
Jonathan T. Taplin
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (66) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (3)
If a movie can be faulted for packing in a little too much realism, this is definitely one of them. But, you know, cinema isn’t always about being comfortable.
July 9, 2019
Glenn Kenny
Decider
TOP CRITIC
The movie’s blazing energy is still astounding; the vrit street-scenes are terrific and Scorsese’s pioneering use of popular music is genuinely thrilling.
March 31, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The acting and editing have such an original, tumultuous force that the picture is completely gripping.
March 31, 2008
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Scorsese is exceptionally good at guiding his largely unknown cast to near-flawless recreations of types. Outstanding in this regard is De Niro.
March 31, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Terrific. Top shelf talent at the top of their game, working immediately before they would change Hollywood.
November 3, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
Simon Braund
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The Godfather made the mob glamorous. Mean Streets made it real. Martin Scorsese’s ferocious, grimy 1973 classic is just as good as Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece, but it shows us criminal life lower down the food chain.
January 25, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
Nev Pierce
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
For all the violence of the streets, this is less a crime film than a character piece, a love letter to the streets of New York’s Little Italy and the young men rattling around like tough guys and fantasizing about becoming the real thing.
March 19, 2022
Sean Axmaker
Stream on Demand
In Caravaggio and Scorsese’s art, the silent actions of male and female characters speak louder than words. We dont need to hear Holofernes scream to understand what Judith has taken.
February 18, 2022
Q.V. Hough
Vague Visages
Mean Streets has its flaws, mainly in certain moments of inconsistency, but it also exhibits extraordinary daring; it surely ranks as the most original American film of the year.
October 8, 2021
Janet Maslin
Boston Phoenix
It’s far from being my favorite Scorsese film, but it marks the beginning of several aspects of his cinema that would change the world of movies forever. De Niro is explosive. [Full review in Spanish]
September 30, 2021 | Rating: 7/10
Victor Pineyro
Seventh Art Studio
Mean Streets is the movie that set [Scorsese] on course as one of cinema’s great tellers of crime stories.
August 11, 2021
Robin Holabird
Robin Holabird
…benefits substantially from its stylish visuals and engrossing performances…
June 27, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews…
Plot
Mean Streets follows a small-time hood who gets in over his head with a vicious loan shark and turns to a friend involved in criminal activities for help.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Robert De Niro delivers an explosive performance as Johnny Boy Cervello.
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