Film review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Film review - Essay Example Mean Streets illustrates the hierarchies in the criminal underworld and the disparities and want that afflict crime agents at the lower cadre of the shadowy organizations. The film follows through the lives and fate of two main characters, Charlie and Johny boy who endure the torments and challenges of the criminal world in their respective ways. One of the characters, Charlie aspires to re-establish connections with his moral and spiritual self while the other appears destined for self-destruction as a matter of individual weaknesses. The choice and performance of characters in this film add to the quality and authenticity of the film as each one of them portrays the natural qualities that are expected of criminal actors. In sum, the actions and attitudes of the characters are nearly in perfect consistency with their assigned roles. Most precisely, the characters of Johny boy and Charlie are brought out in perfect harmony with the reality of criminal agents. The two characters fit well into their roles without the mismatch of maintaining the balance of action and character. The disintegration and dehumanization of Johny boy is captured in grim details that illustrate the affliction and erosion of personality as the individual gets sucked deeper in the vaults of criminality. On the other hand, the character of Charlie is used as a foil to reflect on the evident descent of Johny boy into an ignoble human that is incapable of sustaining any meaningful engagement even with his most trusted ally, Charlie (Scorsese). Charlie’s situation is used to direct the viewer to the often-ignored facts of the criminal world. From his character, we learn that not all players in the criminal world are unrepentant and rigid. Criminality is brought out as any other social condition that could suck any person within the society through temptation or peer pressure. For instance,