Mean Streets (DVD 2005)

I've never been to the Bronx. I live in Surrey. But Scorsese's gritty and often frightening vision of the Bronx in Mean Streets verges on the autobiographical and is incredibly believable. Launching De Niro into Hollywood, who would have thought in 1973 that a year later he would win an Oscar? His performance is electric, and Keitel is impressive also. Amy Robinson, now a producer, is quietly touching as Charlie's epileptic girlfriend.

Low on plot but high on tension and drama, this film is exhausting to watch and unforgettable.