In Character: Harvey Keitel

Harvey Keitel has been one of our finest screen actors since he exploded on the screen in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets. Thankfully, those two have maintained their collaboration (bring on The Irishman!), all while Keitel has carved out an astounding career for himself. Frankly, I can’t believe I haven’t covered him in this series yet. Maybe it’s because there are so many great performances to choose from. If I didn’t include yours, please feel free to share!

Five Essential Roles

Mean Streets (1973)

Charlie

After starring in Martin Scorsese’s earnest debut, Who’s That Knocking at My Door, Keitel and Scorsese reteamed for the more focused Mean Streets, which subsequently launched both men into ‘70s film stardom. Charlie is a good-natured, low-level mob kid who is attempting to move up in the ranks while tolerating his psychotic best friend, Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), and keeping his sexual relationship with Johnny Boy’s cousin a secret.

Part of the joy of Mean Streets is that you’re watching so much raw, unpolished talent testing out their skills. The scenes of Keitel and De Niro verbally bouncing off each other remain highlights of both men’s early careers. It really feels like these two characters know and love each other, while also coming to terms with the fact that they are growing apart at a rapid pace. Keitel is on fire in this film; it’s a genuine star-making performance.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Sport

Sport is the most dangerous and menacing kind of character. He’s a guy who can be so unassuming and charming that he can temporarily make you forget that he’s a scum-sucking, shit heal pimp who sells 12-year-old girls’ bodies for money. Truly, one of the more quietly disturbing scenes of Keitel’s career is the moment Sport gently breaks Iris (Jodie Foster) down and convinces her that what she’s doing for him is perfectly fine. Sport has mastered the art of manipulation, and it is so upsetting to see that exercised here. Put another way: this scene is one of the very few in Taxi Driver that does not directly feature Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro). Under any other circumstance, Travis’ absence would be sorely missed, but Keitel and Foster make this scene necessary. We finally get to see how this brand of pimp evil is constructed, and despite the scene’s tame approach, the implication is that Sport will be deserving of whatever misfortune is to come his way.

Bugsy (1991)

Mickey Cohen

It’s hard to believe that Harvey Keitel has only been nominated for one Oscar, but it’s appropriate that it was for his threatening but modest take on famed gangster Mickey Cohen in Bugsy. Warren Beatty has an absolute blast playing Bugsy Siegel – he’s charming, short tempered, violent, and insane – and his flamboyant take on the character bounces so well off of Keitel’s more quietly intimidating Cohen. When tracing through Keitel’s career, there are a lot of performances to choose as his best, but what fun I had rewatching Bugsy for this post. The film is damn near perfect, and everyone in it is at peak greatness. I’m thrilled the Academy recognized Keitel’s work here, but this should be one of many Oscar nominations for him.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Mr. White

After a string of mostly unpraised performances in the ‘80s, Keitel quickly found his footing in the ‘90s. His Oscar nomination for Bugsy helped reestablish him as a serious character actor, while his work in Reservoir Dogs gave him pop culture clout. In fact, Keitel is somewhat responsible for getting Reservoir Dogs off the ground. After receiving the script, Keitel signed on to co-produce the film and help Quentin Tarantino secure financing. The resulting film was an absolute sensation, one that redefined American independent film, and opened the doors to countless movies like it.

At the center of Reservoir Dogs is Mr. White, a grizzled, sarcastic, life-long criminal with questionable ethics. Keitel is, simply put, perfect in this film. He embraces the unique tone of Tarantino’s writing so effortlessly, it’s as if, like Samuel L. Jackson, Keitel was born to speak Tarantino’s dialogue. Frankly, Mr. White is damn near Keitel’s finest work to date, and I love that Keitel is partially responsible for getting the film made to begin with.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Winston Wolf

Showing up late in Pulp Fiction, and only staying for 10 minutes of screen time, Keitel steals every single second he’s on screen. His fast-thinking mind, his rapid-fire banter, his silent appreciation for Jimmie’s gourmet coffee – everything about this guy feels complete. This is Winston Wolf, and he is an absolute joy to watch.

I also want to make note of the Harry Lime effect Keitel has on his film. In Carol Reed’s The Third Man, the Harry Lime character is mentioned plenty before we actually meet him. He’s talked about in fear, in appreciation, in reverence. And when Harry Lime is finally revealed to be Orson Welles playfully hiding in shadows, we too smile in appreciation. Keitel and Tarantino pull that off here to great effect. Jules (Samuel L. Jackson), is not a guy who is easily rattled. But when his boss, Marcellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), tells him that The Wolf is coming to save the day, Jules’ entire demeanor changes. He’s calm, he’s secure, he knows The Wolf will work it out. And when Jimmie opens the door to reveal Harvey Keitel in a flawless tuxedo and pencil mustache, we too know that everything will be fine.

Wild Card

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Jacob

What fun it is to watch Harvey Keitel taking himself so seriously in an intentionally schlocky, vampire grindhouse flick. Keitel, somewhat hidden behind his character’s southern, strait-laced presentation, brings an honest intensity to an otherwise purposeful romp of a movie. I never tire of watching Keitel and George Clooney banter back and forth in this film:

“Are you such a fucking loser, you can’t tell when you’ve won?”
“What’d you call me?”
“Nothing, I didn’t make a statement. I asked a question. Would you like me to ask it again?”

From Dusk Till Dawn is grindhouse bliss, and I love that Keitel was on board for the ride.

The Best of the Best

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

LT

Certain film performances are raw and authentic. They’re emotive and painful, honest and devastating. And then there are performances that are completely unhinged, yet masterfully contained. Such performances require total character immersion from the actor, so much so that when you watch them, you’re convinced you are not watching acting at all. So describes Harvey Keitel’s shattering work in Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant. This is fearless screen acting personified. Harvey Keitel does not exist in Bad Lieutenant. Instead, there is a man known only as LT, and he is a man who is defined solely by his demons.

LT is a hopeless drug addict, violent criminal, sexual deviant, and degenerate gambler. Oh, and he’s also a lieutenant for the New York Police Department. Like all of Ferrara’s best work, Bad Lieutenant doesn’t concern itself with plot so much as with following a troubled person around for a few hours and seeing what kind of shit they get into. There is a tangential plot about LT trying to find two thugs who raped a nun, but that device is not what drives LT. LT, as mentioned, is driven solely by his demons, and I can think of no other actor who could expose such terrors as honestly as Keitel does here. (Somewhat famously, Christopher Walken was signed on to play LT, but dropped out a few weeks before filming. Walken told Ferrara he wasn’t right for the part, and while I love Christopher Walken, his insight was appropriate here.)

Bad Lieutenant is not an easy film to stomach, but there’s a reason Martin Scorsese ranked it as his fifth favorite film of the 1990s, and Roger Ebert championed the movie tirelessly. The film would not work without Keitel’s dedication; this is truly one of the very finest acting performances in film, provided you’re ready for it.

Other Notable Roles

In Fingers

Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967)

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

The Duellists (1977)

Blue Collar (1978)

Fingers (1978)
The Border (1982)

Exposed (1983)

Wise Guys (1986)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

The Two Jakes (1999)

Mortal Thoughts (1991)

Thelma & Louise (1991)

Sister Act (1992)

The Piano (1993)

Clockers (1995)

Cop Land (1997)

Holy Smoke! (1997)

U-571 (2000)

The Grey Zone (2001)

Red Dragon (2002)

National Treasure (2003
Be Cool (2005)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Youth (2015)