Harvey Keitel RULES!
- 6 days ago
- 8 min read
With the release of his new movie The Wrecker (an over-the-top, unintentionally hilarious action flick that somehow made its way into theaters) I thought it was time to take a minute to celebrate one of my favorite actors of all time: Harvey Keitel. Because even if The Wrecker is a certifiably ridiculous film, Harvey’s still Harvey... fascinating, intense, and endlessly watchable.
Harvey Keitel has been one of the most consistent, fearless, and flat-out interesting actors in American cinema for over fifty years. He’s not just an actor, he’s a worker. He’s also a producer and a discoverer of talent, he’s the guy who made Reservoir Dogs happen. That’s right, you can literally thank Harvey Keitel for Quentin Tarantino.
Tarantino was just another video-store clerk with a script until Keitel read it, saw the genius, came on board, and used his clout to get it made. So if you love Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, any of it, you should bow to the man who got the ball rolling: Harvey Keitel.
He’s a true New York guy, born in Brooklyn in 1939 to Jewish immigrant parents, from a working-class family who ran a luncheonette. He joined the Marines at 17, spent years as a court stenographer before deciding to study acting under Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg.
That’s about as pure a New York actor origin story as you can get: Marine, courtroom typist, then the Actor’s Studio. And it shows. Everything he does, from his smallest cameos to his biggest roles, has that real, lived-in grit.
He first broke through with Martin Scorsese’s Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967), the start of a long and important collaboration with Scorsese that would continue through Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, and eventually The Irishman.
Think about that. He’s literally been part of Scorsese’s work from the beginning of the New Hollywood era right up to the streaming age. That’s range and longevity.
And he didn’t stop there. He starred in debut films for Paul Schrader (Blue Collar), Ridley Scott (The Duellists), and James Toback (Fingers). He was even originally cast as Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now, shot a week’s worth of footage, then got replaced by Martin Sheen. That’s one of those weird, legendary what-ifs in film history. But, of course, Keitel just kept going.
The man’s career is everywhere. He’s done crime dramas, arthouse experiments, wild comedies, horror, prestige dramas, war films, indie gems, total misfires... all of it. He can play cops, crooks, priests, pimps, and philosophers, sometimes all in the same movie. He’s known for playing “tough guys,” but there’s always something human and conflicted in those characters. He can explode with rage or break your heart with silence.
And look, let’s be honest, he’s also done some truly bad comedies. Little Nicky. The Ridiculous 6. Little Fockers. Even Wise Guys with Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo (which is actually a pretty funny movie). But he can be funny. That’s the thing, even in junk, he’s committed.
He’s hilarious in Sister Act, of all things, and he brings a weird gravity to the absurd. He’s also starred in some cult favorites like Mother, Jugs & Speed, a dark, politically incorrect ambulance comedy from the ’70s with Bill Cosby and Raquel Welch. Try making that movie today.
And he never stops working. In the last ten years alone, he’s made thirty movies. That’s insane. The problem is, we just don’t see most of them because they go straight to streaming, straight to VOD, straight to some obscure international release. But he’s out there, on set, doing the work.
Every once in a while, like with The Wrecker, something sneaks into theaters and reminds us how much we miss seeing that face on the big screen.
He’s also done television too. Early on he popped up in Dark Shadows, Kojak, The F.B.I. Then decades later, he was great on Life on Mars, playing a gruff, time-traveling cop boss, which was perfect casting.
He’s done the stage, he’s run the Actor’s Studio with Al Pacino and Ellen Burstyn, he’s done commercials, music videos, voice work. He’s one of those old-school working actors who just never stops.
And let’s not forget his collaborations beyond Scorsese and Tarantino. He’s worked with Jane Campion (The Piano and Holy Smoke!), with Ridley Scott twice (The Duellists and Thelma & Louise), with Wes Anderson three times (Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs), with Abel Ferrara on Bad Lieutenant (a film I’ve never really loved, even though I get why people do), and with Robert Rodriguez on From Dusk till Dawn.
He was in Cop Land with Stallone, Bugsy with Warren Beatty, U-571, National Treasure, Red Dragon, Finding Graceland, Clockers, the guy’s résumé is endless.
And that’s what I love about him. He’s not a movie star, he’s an actor. He elevates everything he’s in. He’ll do a Scorsese masterpiece one minute and then a wacky genre film the next. He’s unpredictable, real, and fascinating to watch.
So, in honor of The Wrecker actually getting a theatrical release (and as an excuse to revisit the great, weird, wonderful career of Harvey Keitel) I’ve put together a list of 15 of my favorite Harvey Keitel performances.
These are not ranked; they’re in chronological order. Some of them are the obvious classics, others might surprise you. Together they show the range, power, humor, and longevity of one of our greatest living actors.
MY 15 FAVORITE HARVEY KEITEL FILMS (in chronological order):
This is where it all really began, with Scorsese, De Niro, and Keitel in the streets of Little Italy. Harvey plays Charlie, a small-time hood wrestling with Catholic guilt and loyalty. It’s raw, sweaty, bursting with energy, and filled with the kind of chaos that would define Scorsese’s early work. Keitel’s performance is electric, he’s the moral compass surrounded by madness, and you can feel the weight of every decision on his face.
Scorsese again, but this time Harvey goes dark, really dark. He plays Ben, a violent, abusive boyfriend to Ellen Burstyn’s Alice, and even though his screen time is short, he’s unforgettable. It’s one of those performances that sets the tone for the whole film, and you can feel the danger radiating off him. Pure menace, no hesitation. A chilling reminder that Keitel could terrify you even in five minutes.
Keitel’s role as Sport, the sleazy pimp controlling Jodie Foster’s child prostitute, is small but absolutely unforgettable. His scenes with De Niro are like oil and gasoline, with two dangerous men circling each other. It’s one of the great examples of Keitel disappearing into filth. He’s charming, funny, even charismatic in this horrifying way. Every second he’s on screen, you want to shower.
Paul Schrader’s directorial debut, one of the best movies of the 70's, and one of the great overlooked films about class, corruption, and frustration. Keitel, alongside Richard Pryor and Yaphet Kotto, plays an auto worker caught in a web of union politics and betrayal. It’s gritty, angry, and completely authentic. Keitel is phenomenal here, with no glamour, no pretense, just a guy trying to survive. This is the kind of movie that should be shown in film schools.
One of the strangest, most fascinating films Keitel ever made. He plays a thug who also happens to be a classical pianist. He is a violent man trying to channel something beautiful. It’s weird, uncomfortable, and totally hypnotic. Keitel carries the whole movie like a live wire, he's twitchy, unpredictable, human. A perfect example of his ability to find poetry in madness.
Reuniting with Scorsese for one of the most controversial films ever made, Keitel plays Judas, and in true Harvey Keitel fashion, he plays him not as a villain, but as a man torn apart by duty and faith. He’s raw and human in a movie that’s all about doubt and humanity. Sure, his Brooklyn accent in the Holy Land throws some people off, but honestly, it makes the performance even more sincere.
The movie that brought Tarantino to the world, and it wouldn’t exist without Harvey Keitel. He produced it, championed it, and gave it credibility. As Mr. White, he’s the heart of the film, and he is loyal, tough, compassionate, and absolutely doomed. That final scene with Tim Roth still gets me every time. It’s one of his most iconic performances and a master class in understated intensity.
A beautiful, haunting performance in one of the most poetic films of the ’90s. A masterpiece in fact. Keitel plays George, a quiet man who falls in love with Holly Hunter’s mute pianist. It’s a sensual, deeply human role, and the opposite of the violent men he usually plays. There’s such tenderness here, such patience. It’s the performance that proved he wasn’t just a “tough guy.” He could do vulnerability too.
Abel Ferrara’s meta-nightmare about filmmaking, religion, and obsession. Keitel plays a director pushing his actors (played by an amazing Madonna and James Russo) to the breaking point, and it’s both disturbing and mesmerizing. It’s one of those performances where you can’t tell where the acting stops and Harvey begins. He’s unflinching, unpredictable, and completely fearless. A underrated gem.
“The Wolf.” That’s all you have to say. Keitel shows up halfway through and steals the entire movie in ten minutes. He’s calm, polite, professional, and the ultimate problem-solver. It’s one of the great supporting performances of all time, loaded with pure charisma and control. Tarantino gives him the coolest dialogue of his career, and he delivers it with effortless precision.
One of my favorite quieter Keitel performances. He plays Auggie, a Brooklyn tobacconist who photographs the same street corner every day, he is a man who’s seen everything and still finds meaning in the small stuff. It’s gentle, soulful, and deeply moving. Wayne Wang’s direction and Paul Auster’s writing are perfect for him. This is Harvey Keitel as a philosopher of the ordinary.
Spike Lee’s crime drama about drug dealers, cops, and moral compromise. Keitel plays Rocco Klein, a veteran detective who’s smart, cynical, and tired. He’s not a hero, not a villain, he's just a guy trying to navigate a broken system. It’s one of his most grounded performances, and his chemistry with Delroy Lindo is electric. Another reminder that Keitel can disappear into any world.
What a cast: Stallone, De Niro, Moriarty, Liotta, Keitel. This is one of those great ‘90s ensemble crime films that doesn’t get enough love. Keitel plays Ray Donlan, the corrupt cop at the heart of it all. He’s slick, dangerous, and completely believable. You can tell the other actors respect him, and he commands every scene he’s in. It’s a classic late-career Keitel performance: power through quiet menace.
Reuniting with Jane Campion for this wild, spiritual, and erotic fever dream. Keitel plays a self-help guru sent to deprogram Kate Winslet from a cult, but it turns into a strange, psychological battle of wills. It’s sexy, uncomfortable, and darkly funny. Keitel gives one of his most fearless performances, he's vulnerable, flawed, and at times, painfully human. Nobody else could’ve pulled it off.
Back under Scorsese’s direction, decades after Mean Streets. He plays mob boss Angelo Bruno, very calm, commanding, and dignified. He’s not in the film much, but his presence looms large. It feels like a full-circle moment: the old Scorsese crew together again, reflecting on the lives of the men they used to play. It’s a quiet, perfect capstone for one of the great American acting careers.
Fifteen performances, fifty years, countless unforgettable moments. Harvey Keitel isn’t just an actor, he’s part of the DNA of modern American cinema. From the streets of Little Italy to the pulp fiction of L.A. to the quiet poetry of New Zealand beaches, he’s done it all.
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