Plot
Charlie (Keitel) is an Italian-American man who is trying to move up in the local mob and who is hampered by his feeling of responsibility towards his childish yet destructive friend Johnny Boy (De Niro). Charlie works for his uncle (who is the local mob boss), mostly collecting debts. He is also having a hidden affair with Johnny Boy's cousin, Teresa (Amy Robinson), who has epilepsy and is ostracized because of her condition - especially by Charlie's uncle. Charlie had a very strict Catholic upbringing, and is probably too forgiving in general to get very far in the Mafia.Production
Aside from his student film project ''Who's That Knocking at My Door'' and ''Boxcar Bertha'', a directing project given him by early independent maverick Roger Corman, this was Scorsese's first feature film of his own design. Director John Cassavetes told him after he completed ''Boxcar Bertha'', to make films he wanted to make, about things he knew. ''Mean Streets'' was based on actual events Scorsese saw almost regularly while growing up in Little Italy.The screenplay for the movie initially began as a continuation of the characters in his first film, ''Who's That Knocking.'' Scorsese changed the title to ''Mean Streets'', a reference to Raymond Chandler's essay "The Simple Art of Murder," where he writes, "But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid." Scorsese sent the script to Corman, who agreed to back the film if all the characters were black. Scorsese was so anxious to make the film that he actually considered this option, but fortunately actress Verna Bloom arranged a meeting with potential financial backer, Jonathan Taplin, who was the road manager for the musical group, The Band. Taplin liked the script and was willing to raise the $300,000 budget that Scorsese wanted if Corman promised, in writing, to distribute the film.
According to Scorsese, the first draft of ''Mean Streets'' focused on the religious conflict within Charlie and how it affected his worldview. Along with fellow writer Mardik Martin, Scorsese wrote the whole script while driving around "Little Italy" in Martin's car. They would find a spot in the neighborhood to park and begin writing, all the while immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of what would eventually appear on-screen.
Once the financing was in place, Scorsese began to recruit his cast. De Niro had met the director in 1972 and liked what he had seen in ''Who's That Knocking''. De Niro was impressed with how the film had so accurately captured life in "Little Italy" where he had also grown up. Scorsese offered the actor four different roles, but he could not decide which one he wanted to portray. After another actor dropped out of the project, Scorsese cast Keitel in the pivotal role of Charlie. Keitel was also responsible for convincing De Niro to play Johnny Boy.
