A graphic portrayal of life in the underworld, Martin Scorsese’s semi-autobiographical depiction of the experiences and relationships of a petty hoodlum, his epileptic lover and her unstable cousin on the run from a loan shark was Robert De Niro’s first major role and went on to become a landmark of 1970’s American cinema.

“You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it on the streets...”

The streets in question are in Little Italy, New York City. Charlie (Harvey Keitel) is a small-time wise guy who collects protection money whilst trying to work his way up the ranks of a local mob. Teresa (Amy Robinson) is his epileptic girlfriend with whom his family does not approve. And then there’s his friend Johnny Boy (De Niro), irresponsible and reckless - a small-time gambler in big-time debt to the local loan sharks. So when his uncle Giovanni offers him a restaurant – and a first step up the ladder – Charlie struggles to reconcile gang life with Catholic guilt as he’s forced to choose between his desire for power, his love for Teresa, and feelings of duty toward protecting his friend from seemingly inevitable self destruction.

Drawn directly from Scorsese's own experiences in New York’s Italian American neighbourhoods, Mean Streets is a true original and a triumph of personal filmmaking. Seething with the raw energy and vitality of a filmmaker who had found his creative groove it also marked the first in what was to become an historic teaming with De Niro. A fittingly raw announcement of their talents to the world.

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