Mean Streets (1973)

In a New York Little Italy of the 70s, Charlie Cappa pursues a place among the city's established mobsters while dealing with the debts and problems of his friend Johnny Boy. At the same time, he has a forbidden love affair with Teressa, his friend's cousin. True to his roots, Scorsese portrays in the main character the contradiction between sin and redemption, resolving with admirable ingenuity the balance between brutality and sensitivity.