ComingSoon.net is counting down our ten favorite films starring Harvey Keitel, who has had many gripping roles over his decades-long career. Check out our choices in the gallery below!
An actor lucky enough to take part in some of the most influential films of the back half of the 20th century, Harvey Keitel is an instantly recognizable and incredibly respectable performer. Often seen embodying hard-boiled or otherwise tough and masculine characters, Keitel can play things much softer if need be. He’s so great he provides an instant boost to any project his name is attached to.
With names like Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Jane Campion, Paul Schrader, and Ridley Scott littered all over his filmography, Keitel is a bona fide all-star with the films to prove it. He’s gristly, sardonic, intimidating, and just plain tough wen he needs to be, yet has the capability of being tender and heartfelt if the role calls for such behavior. With a filmography like this, it’s clear that Keitel is one of the all-time greats.
Harvey Keitel movies
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Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s biggest hit, 1994’s Pulp Fiction influenced generations of moviegoers and continues to cement itself in film history with each and every poster that goes up in a college dorm room. Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis, the film also sees a supporting cast of greats scattered throughout. Keitel is just one, delivering an iconic performance in an already iconic film.
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Taxi Driver (1976)
Like Pulp Fiction, Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver will live on forever in the hearts and minds of countless film fanatics. The movie, starring a young Robert De Niro as the infamous Travis Bickle, tracks a man hoping to avenge a young girl’s exploitation. Keitel shows up throughout, again delivering a classic performance and beefing up his eclectic list of films.
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Reservoir Dogs (1992)
The movie that came right before Pulp Fiction, Tarantino’s breakout hit Reservoir Dogs has Keitel front-and-center alongside Steve Buscemi and Tim Roth. Tarantino put it all out on the table with this one, showing the world what he was capable of with his debut feature. Keitel gets all kinds of room to shine, and the movie would surely be nothing without him.
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Blue Collar (1978)
Keitel plays an important part in Taxi Driver, a film written by Paul Schrader, so it’s fun to see him playing a leading role in Schrader’s first directorial effort Blue Collar. Costarring alongside Richard Pryor and Yaphet Kotto, Keitel and his fellow factory workers try to steal from their union but instead try to blackmail once they uncover all the corruption underneath the surface. Keitel and his coworkers get into trouble, of course, and he plays it so well.
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Thelma & Louise (1991)
A different sort of film for Keitel and Ridley Scott both, Thelma & Louise tells the story of two friends on the run after the death of an attempted abuser. The movie is a late-in-the-game 20th century classic, with Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis giving performances of a lifetime. Keitel, instead of being a traditionally tough villain, plays a different kind of antagonist: an investigator.
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The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
The role of Judas in the death of Jesus Christ is a widely-known one, right down to the infamy of the kiss of Judas. Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film tells this story more compellingly than any other filmmaker has even come close to doing, with Keitel embodying Judas and Willem Dafoe as Jesus. It’s the perfect role for Keitel, really—the casting is spot-on.
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The Piano (1993)
Jane Campion’s most recognizable feature film to date, The Piano is a tragic story of a mute woman who moves from Scotland to New Zealand to get married to a man she barely knows. Traveling with her daughter and her trusty piano, Ada (played incredibly well by Holly Hunter) gets into trouble when she starts teaching piano lessons to her husband’s associate (played by Harvey Keitel). The role starts out with Keitel’s signature tough guy routine, but ultimately reveals a loving and careful side to the performer’s talent.
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Mean Streets (1972)
An early Scorsese (and one for the ages, for sure), Mean Streets puts Keitel back on screen with Robert De Niro in this coming-of-age movie set in New York’s Little Italy. Many consider it to be one of the greatest American films of all time, and for a good reason: everyone involved is at the top of their game, delivering performances that would guarantee them careers for the rest of their days. Keitel is no exception.
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Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Two years after Mean Streets, Scorsese and Keitel reunited for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. He’s been pushed to a supporting role here, but that’s just so that Ellen Burstyn has enough room to shine as the lead. Mean Streets might have set the tone for Keitel’s future tough guy films, but Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore does the same thing for his dramatic career.
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Bad Lieutenant (1992)
Probably the epitome of what a well-made Keitel film can be, Bad Lieutenant is Abel Ferrara’s 1992 neo-noir about a New York cop with a bad vice or two. It’s a combination of everything great about the actor, showcasing his crazy side and his serious side in one perfect performance. (Plus, the quasi-sequel with Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage is a worthy follow-up for sure).
