Fingers (1978)

A dysfunctional young man is pulled between loyalties to his Italian mob-connected loan shark father and his mentally disturbed Jewish concert pianist mother.

Director:

James Toback

Writer:

James Toback

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, Tisa Farrow, Jim Brown

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harvey Keitel	...	Jimmy Fingers
Tisa Farrow	...	Carol
Jim Brown	...	Dreems
Michael V. Gazzo	...	Ben
Marian Seldes	...	Ruth
Danny Aiello	...	Butch
Ed Marinaro	...	Gino
Georgette Mosbacher	...	Anita (as Georgette Muir)
Tanya Roberts	...	Julie
Carole Francis	...	Christa
Lenny Montana	...	Luchino
Vasco Valladeres	...	Luchino's Son
Tony Sirico	...	Riccamonza (as Anthony Sirico)
Tom Signorelli	...	Italian Prisoner
Dominic Chianese	...	Arthur Fox

Storyline

Keitel plays the lead in this schizophrenic movie in which he is continually pulled by the two conflicting sides of his personality, on the one hand that of a quiet piano virtuoso and on the other a ruthless debt collector for his mobster father. Keitel is introspective as only Keitel can be, really making the audience feel for him and his pained existence.

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Plot Keywords:

piano | debt collector | loan shark | pianist | nude model | 

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Taglines:

He Has The Hands Of An Artist And The Mind Of A Madman.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

Det beskidte job

Filming Locations:

Sutton Place Park, 57th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brut Productions, Fingers Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Toback claims in the DVD 'director's commentary' that Michael V. Gazzo, who was fond of a drink, bribed him for a pitcher of Bloody Mary in exchange for an unscripted line that would 'make the scene' in question: the line was 'I should have strangled you in your crib.' and Gazzo delivered it 'under the influence', Toback having been true to his word.

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Quotes

Jimmy: [to a girl he's just met] I want it from you.
Julie: Want what?
Jimmy: Love.
Julie: Why? Do you love me?
Jimmy: No, I'm in love with a girl called Carol. I love your...
Julie: My what?
Jimmy: Your pussy.
Julie: How do you know that?
Jimmy: Of all the different kinds of pussy in the world; soft, hot, gravel, velvet, cold, wet, big, small, there's only one kind I can feel in my blood on sight. And that's silk, which is yours.

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Connections

Referenced in Kwik Stop (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Baby Talk"
Written by Melvin Schawrtz
Performed by Jan & Dean
Courtesy of United Artist Records

User Reviews

Harvey's World

Harvey Keitel is Jimmy fingers, a man divided by his passion for the piano and his day job as a collector for his mobster father. He is the perfect choice for this dark and schizophrenic role, since it matches his personality. His father is Italian, and he wishes him to carry on in the family business, and his Jewish mother hopes for him to become a concert pianist, and so that is what he must choose from. It is pretty straight forward, as he slips back and forth from sitting at a keyboard, performing classical music, and in the next moment, beating someone for not paying his debts in a timely manner.

I love Keitel as an actor, but I found Fingers tedious and I didn't really care what happened to the nut case in the end. A 5/10 for Harvey.