Fingers

Harvey Keitel indeed does his best work here, as lil' Jimmy "Fingers", a prodigy concert pianist turned debt collector, who works for his domineering father. Shot in cruel hues by cinematographer Michael Chapman, and excellently directed by the obsessive James Toback, this film is a rare gem of a find. Even football great Jim Brown has never been better. And you know what, this is one of Jean-Luc Goddard's favourite movies of all time!! Enough said.

Troubled pianist Jimmy Fingers (Harvey Keitel) pursues artist Carol (Tisa Farrow) with his radio but she is with Dreems (Jim Brown). He gets his musical skills and madness from his institutionalized mother. He's also a ruthless debt collector for his aging mobster father Ben (Michael V. Gazzo). He's the only one left working for him. His father has a large debt to collect but the arrogant gangster is refusing to pay the over-the-hill Ben.

This is Keitel's Taxi Driver. It is lesser known and not as great. The commonality is the lead. Keitel is masterful. He has so much internal fire. He is a man ready to explode at any moment. Now, times have caught up with filmmaker James Toback recently. He's had a career of extraordinary highs and ugly lows. It doesn't get much lower than he is today. That is beside the point. For this movie, there is greatness and his name is Harvey Keitel.

Well, Reservoir Dogs fans, if you've been wondering really where the film is where Mr. White plays Mr. Blonde, this might be it. Only don't expect the same form of psychopathic behavior. Keitel's Jimmy Fingers is a sort of time bomb at times needing to be either detonated or waiting to be set off, and there's even an echo too (or rather the other movie is an echo of this) in Do the Right Thing. But James Toback's script is very particular about his various, half annoying half dangerous tendencies carrying around a radio and a knack for classical music and grit. And Keitel moves in this world like a man so within his own mind that the only way he can act sometimes is in bottling it up before it comes out. It's a very tough performance to pull off, as there's more fascination in what the character completely lacks than in his virtues. It's sometimes teeters even on becoming very uncomfortable to sit through, just in the psychological sense. We may not hate Jimmy Fingers, but he can test patience like it's nothing.

Still, Keitel makes it such a character of idiosyncrasies and at the same time a weird kind of charm that at first sort of reminded me of his debut in Who's That Knocking at My Door. He's aiming for concert pianist, of the level on Carnegie Hall standards. But his father also has him collecting/making bets, and thus getting into things of a sometimes violent and ugly nature. And there's always that radio, blasting out the 'golden oldies' of the kind they used to play on CBS FM in New York. There's even a touch of the Brando-type character in Keitel's mood and mannerisms at times, plus that compulsory sexual nature with women. Towards the end of the film this becomes almost too perverse to handle, and Toback always deals with such dicey material head-on, without pulling any tricks with the camera (in fact, he only so occasionally moves it). While the filmmaker tests the waters with possibly become unnerving and off-its-hinges with watching such unconventional material, more or less he pulls off what he wants, and Keitel is a force to be reckoned with as an actor here. He may lack the realistic volcanic force and wit of a Mr. White, but the not-totally-sadistic Mr. Blonde comes out with just a great hint of the obsessed artist in there too (and what great music there is).

In terms of referring to the 2005 French remake, the Beat That My Heart Skipped, I found that it might be one of those rare cases where the remake does out-do the original, at least in terms of dramatic involvement and in really getting more into the relationship between the father and son (plus there was more ambiguity in terms of the young man's mind state in the French version). But Fingers still holds its own decades later by standing out in the crime genre of the period, and it's up there in Keitel's underrated cannon of work.

"Fingers" is the offbeat, intriguing study of one dysfunctional character, Jimmy (Harvey Keitel), a man who straddles two distinct worlds. In one, he's the reluctant debt collector for his mobster father Ben (Michael V. Gazzo), and a man who won't hesitate to use violence to get the job done. However, he's also an obsessive music lover, and talented pianist with the lofty ambition of performing at Carnegie Hall. He puts off what will prove to be a brutal confrontation at the end to pursue the spaced-out Carol (Tisa Farrow). Writer / director James Toback's unique little movie is more than just the typical NYC gangster picture. It does feature excellent use of NYC locations, and it does have some very brutal moments, but is a decidedly laid back rather than intense experience, with deliberate pacing. The movie is marked by a very erotic quality, whether Jimmy is making the acquaintance of the sexually charged club owner Dreems (Jim Brown, in a captivating low key portrayal), or having an encounter with Julie (Tanya Roberts). We even get a glimpse of Keitel nudity, 14 years before he bared all in Abel Ferrara's "Bad Lieutenant". The movie has a serious, somber mood, yet at the same time is not without some humour. It's a very good vehicle for Keitel, who really throws himself into the twisted main role; other familiar faces such as Danny Aiello, Ed Marinaro, Marian Seldes, Lenny Montana, Tom Signorelli, Frank Pesce, and Zack Norman comprise the supporting cast, and the movie is now notable for co-starring two future 'Sopranos' regulars, Tony Sirico as young mobster Riccamonza and Dominic Chianese as Arthur Fox. But Keitel is truly the one to watch playing an obviously flawed, yet compelling individual with more than his fair share of psycho sexual problems, a certain arrogance, and a tendency towards explosive behaviour who also wants something more out of life. Film fans looking for something a little off the beaten path and deserving of more attention are advised to check out "Fingers", as it refrains from ever being too predictable and tells its story in a very straightforward manner. It's gritty and provocative and rather memorable as well; it's not for all tastes but is rewarding for those who seek it out. Seven out of 10.

'Fingers' is the kind of movie that makes me value the 1970s over any other decade. A complex portrait of Jimmy Fingers, an ex-debt collector turned wanna be concert pianist (Harvey Keitel, in one of his top five performances), who finds himself drawn back into his old line of work as a favour to his aging gangster father (Michael V. Gazzo, 'The Godfather 2', 'Fear City'). Fingers isn't the most likable character, is obsessed by sex and music, both doo wop (which he plays at top volume on a boom box) and classical, and is obviously doomed to fail.

Keitel is absolutely mesmerizing on screen, and the movie is filled with a supporting cast of interesting faces, including Jim Brown ('Slaughter'), Tisa Farrow (Fulci's 'Zombie Flesh Eaters'!), Danny Aiello ('Do The Right Thing', 'Jacob's Ladder'), future "Angel" Tanya Roberts, and at least two Sopranos. I don't know why 'Fingers' isn't mentioned as much as the more celebrated 1970s crime movies of Scorsese and Coppola. Godard and Tarantino are both fans of this movie, and you will be too if you give it a look. Great stuff!