Harvey Keitelis one of those actors that always makes a movie better. He’s been in more than a hundred of them, and in each, he has left a part of himself, as he’s an old-school, no-nonsense actor with an incredible love for his craft. Many great directors have benefited from his magnetic presence, from Scorsese to Tarantino, or Coppola and even Wes Anderson, as he can be tough, sensible, and every emotion in between. Here are Harvey Keitel’s best performances, ranked.
9From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Two criminals, Seth (George Clooney) and Richard (Quentin Tarantino) are looking for somewhere to hide after a robbery has gone wrong. They abduct a doting father (Keitel) and his kids. To lay low, they end up in a biker bar, where they’ll find a big, bad surprise when the night falls.From Dusk Till Dawncatapulted Clooney’s career, as he showed he could headline a movie and not just a TV show. Keitel plays the role of a stoic father who only wants to defend his children from every kind of evil, even if it means sacrificing himself. The role could have been a nothing part on paper, but Keitel imbues him with dignity, resilience, and soul, even while fighting vampires,in one of Robert Rodriguez’s best movies ever.
8Clockers (1995)
Strike (Mekhi Phifer) is interrogated by police officer Rocco Klein (Keitel) after one of Strike’s acquaintances is killed. After hearing his story, Klein tries to help him find a way out. Keitel’s performance inClockers,is one of the less talked about, but still great Spike Lee movies, and is all compassion and heart. Although his been toughed up by everything he’s seen and done as a cop, Keitel’s character still believes in redemption and second chances, offering a more tender side than we usually see in his characters, especially those in a position of authority.
7Mean Streets (1973)
In the mean streets of Little Italy, Charlie (Keitel) tries to help his hot-headed friend Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro) from getting killed by a mobster/loan sharks.Mean Streetswas one of Scorsese’s first films; anindependent movie, with great impactthat was also thefirst collaboration of many between De Niro and Scorsese. De Niro’s part is flashier, but the soul of the movie is with Keitel’s character, a Scorsese avatar, who is conflicted by his work, his family, his best friend, his faith, and his love for his epileptic girlfriend, as each of those is taking him in a different direction. Keitel sells this continued worry, as he doesn’t know how to be loyal and to whom, as all he wants is a normal, simple, life with the love of his life, but all his family and neighborhood circumstances might take him to worse, scarier paths.
6Taxi Driver (1976)
Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is a Vietnam vet who works as a taxi driver as he sees all the misery and filth happening in New York City. He’s lost and decides to take things into his own hands. InTaxi Driver,Keitel plays the most despicable character of all (and that’s saying something), as he’s a pimp for underage sex workers. He’s violent, mean, cruel, abuses the girls, and still believes he’s in the right. Keitel’s performance is great in this sordid, disgusting role, which surprised many, as it wasn’t the kind of character he would usually play. This is De Niro’s movie through-and-through, but Keitel’s performance gives some more salt and pepper to the film’s recipe. It’s definitelyone of Scorsese’s best.
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5The Piano (1993)
In this period-romantic drama, Ada (Holly Hunter), a mute woman, goes to New Zealand with her daughter (Anna Paquin in her first role ever) and their piano, to marry a rich man named Alistair Stewart (Sam Neill). Alistair doesn’t want the instrument around, so he gives it away to George Baines (Keitel), a sailor who has adopted many of the Maori customs. George asks for piano classes from Ada, and a romance develops between them. Keitel’s and Hunter’s chemistry is incredible; one of those opposites-attract love stories, where the actors create a believable, intimate, lustful, passionate, and lovely relationship.The Pianois one of Keitel’s more touching and tender performances ever, as Jane Campion incredibly directed the whole cast (Paquin and Hunter won Oscars for their performances in the movie).
4Smoke (1995)
Auggie Wren (Keitel) runs a tobacco shop in Brooklyn where the whole neighborhood interacts. One of his passions is photography, and every morning at the same time, he shoots a picture of his street.Smokewas directed by Wayne Wang and written by Paul Auster, and it shows in every dialogue, idea, and the story. Keitel’s character is a gentle, humble guy with a simple life who helps his friend Paul (William Hurt), and he nails the performance. Sometimes the most difficult performance is the one that requires the actor to be a normal guy: simple, gentle, and thoughtful, as it has to be a very subdued and subtle performance, and Keitel nails it in this profound, thoughtful movie.
3Pulp Fiction (1994)
Four different, intertwined crime stories develop in ’90s Los Angeles.Pulp Fictionis still one of the best movies ever, and Keitel’s role as The Wolf, although small, is so impactful and magnetic that it will never be forgotten (in today’s world, we would probably have a spinoff for The Wolf, and we would be the first in line to see it). “I’m Winston Wolf, I solve problems,” the character says when we meet him, and Keitel plays him beautifully. He’s smooth, suave, in total control. A cleaner who has seen it and solved it all, and Keitel sells the hell out of it, as the coolest character ever, one of those whose reputation precedes him.
Related:Here’s What Makes Pulp Fiction the Best Action Movie of the 90s
2Reservoir Dogs (1992)
InReservoir Dogs, a jewelry heist goes wrong. We see before and after the crime, and how it has affected the six thieves. Keitel plays Mr. White, one of the thieves, but also someone who is loyal and has a real bond, almost like father and son, with Mr. Orange. Keitel nails his performance as a career criminal who knows crime is part of his life, but still is almost a decent man, a supporter of his friends, and who will do anything to protect those he likes, except if they’re cops. A layered performance by Keitel, who not only acted in this movie but also produced it.
Tarantino told Empirehow Keitel became involved in the project as an actor and producer: “What happened was that Lawrence was going to an acting class, and his acting teacher’s wife knows Harvey," recalls Tarantino. “She gave the script to him, and he just called us up three days later and said, ‘Look, consider me in. Not only do I want to do it, I want to be one of the producers. I want to help get it made. Whatever I can do, let me know.'”
LT (Keitel) is aBad Lieutenant.He gambles and cheats, he’s addicted to any and every drug available (coke, heroin, crack), he steals from police evidence, and he uses his police batch to do all this damage without any real consequences. Until he starts investigating a nun’s sexual assault. Keitel’s acting in this movie is incredible, as he isn’t scared to be the worst person on screen, but he’s still able to show us how lost, and in search of redemption the character is, making us have some kind of empathy with LT, and making us feel sorry for him. It’s a filthy character, almost devilish, but Keitel imbues it with some humanity ina movie that shares some similarities withUncut Gems. Keitel might not be as celebrated as some of his peers (De Niro, Pacino), but he always plays his characters as someone with an interior life who, be it good or evil, are trying to better their lives in any way possible, and he always can sell those internal conflicts and humanity.
