Mean Streets

REVIEW
Scorsese's early masterpiece, set in New York's Little Italy, features a tremendous cast headed by Keitel and De Niro. Keitel, an aspiring mobster, finds his Catholic background, his love for a young woman and his attachment to an irresponsible friend hindering his fledgling Mafia career. Well integrated into the story is a superlative '60s soundtrack. Scorsese's gritty portrayal of gangland life and his superlative photographic and editing techniques have made this bristling drama often imitated but rarely equalled.