At the end of the day, Johnny Boy’s true state of mind can be summed up in one statement: JOHNNY BOY: I fuck you right where you breathe, because I don’t give two shits about you or nobody else. It’s as if Johnny Boy’s decisions are purposely to provoke problems. Mean Streets was released in 1973, and represents the "breakout" moment for Martin Scorsese's career. A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mean_Streets&oldid=996410627, Films with screenplays by Martin Scorsese, United States National Film Registry films, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 December 2020, at 12:47. Reader Question: Where to start when developing a story. [5] Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader wrote, "the acting and editing have such original, tumultuous force that the picture is completely gripping". "Martin Scorsese interview for Shutter Island", "Mean Streets Was Almost a Blaxploitation Flick! Johnny Boy (Robert DeNiro) checks his pants at the door as he brings two girls from Greenwich Village into the bar to meet Tony (David Proval) and Charlie (Harvey Keitel) in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets, 1973. I really enjoyed the opening, and the first few scenes after that (Deniros entrance was great), but then it kinda lost me for awhile. A small-time hood tries to keep the peace between his friend Johnny and Johnny's creditors. In 1997, Mean Streets was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". De Niro won the National Society of Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as "Johnny Boy" Civello. Mean Streets is a 1973 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese and co-written by Scorsese and Mardik Martin. With Michael knowing where Johnny lives and sharing many of the same mutual acquaintances, the question remains: why would Johnny risk his life like this? Second, a show of gratitude to Jason for his steadfast contributions to this blog and to the life of the online screenwriting community with his insightful weekly Great Character posts. It was released by Warner Bros. on October 2, 1973. He is a young man who has to rely on the kindness of others, yet he refuses to follow their rules when they assist him. Mean Streets was released on VHS and Betamax in 1985. His parents are nowhere in sight. [3] Cassavetes told Scorsese he should do something like Who's That Knocking at My Door, which Cassavetes had liked. In De Niro’s hands, Johnny Boy gives the film its sociopathic heartbeat, the counterpoint to Charlie’s search for meaning in the church and the streets. You do … Taplin liked the script and was willing to raise the $300,000 Scorsese wanted if Corman promised, in writing, to distribute the film. Charlie (Harvey Keitel), the most responsible of the group, tries to protect his girlfriend's cousin Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) from the local debt collectors, but his young charge seems determined to live fast and die young. He is the hero, he is everything. He's probably too nice to succeed. The hilarious scene in which Charlie and Johnny Boy argue about Johnny Boy's debts in the backroom of a bar (a scene that was improvised) is alone worth the price of admission. Even with all the sacrifices Charlie and Teresa make to accommodate Johnny Boy’s seemingly random lifestyle, he defiantly repeats his cycle of gambling, getting incoherently drunk, borrowing large sums that he can’t payback, skipping out on his job and waving guns around. Directed by Martin Scorsese.Written by Martin Scorsese and Mardik Martin. 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