CULT MOVIE:MEAN STREETS(1973)

"You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets." Charlie (Keitel) and Johnny (De Niro) are two young hoods establishing themselves in the New York mafia. Charlie, quiet, thoughtful and guilt-ridden, runs errands for his uncle, while Johnny is the embodiment of gangster glory. It's less polished than his later works, but many of Scorsese's trademarks are evident, notably the use of music, in the memorable, much copied, scene of Charlie strutting through his friend's bar to the sound of Mick Jagger blaring Jumpin' Jack Flash. Although not autobiographical, Mean Streets stems from a childhood where, in Scorsese's neighbourhood, you enteredthe mob or the priesthood. Thankfully for us, Scorsese entered neither. Be thankful also that Scorsese, who wrote 27 drafts of the script before anyone bought it, didn't accept Roger Corman's offer to finance it if as a Shaft me-too with an all-black cast
Director: Martin Scorsese Cast: Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro

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