This film should cement in anyone's mind why Martin Scorcese is one of the best directors of all time. The greatness is apparent right out of the gate with his very first feature film; all the classic Scorsese elements are already firmly in place, even if the film is not quite as compelling as later works. It wouldn't be long before Scorsese could spin a plot that was up to the par of his technical skills; Mean Streets (1973) is in the same league as later efforts like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, and it's a great showcase for a much younger De Niro (who was on point right from the start of his relationship with ol' Marty). Similarly, Harvey Keitel delivers powerfully in his first collaboration with Scorsese, but the plot and dramatic impact of the script were just not quite up to snuff yet. But it's not bad in those departments by any means, and in terms of the photography, dialog, and acting, as well as some very memorable isolated scenes, it's all classic Scorsese, bearing his unmistakable stylistic fingerprints.