You know, we give Robert De Niro a lot of flack for signing on to whatever crap project comes his way, but people seem to forget that Harvey Keitel has pretty much been doing the same thing for the past couple of decades too, taking his career where the paycheck pops up next, which leads to the extreme variations in the films he winds up doing. Case in point:
THR reports that Keitel has signed on star in “Against Itself.” Produced by Sanjay Singh (“Udaan“) and written and directed by Kranti Kanade (“Mahek,” “Chaitra“) this one boasts some strong award-winning cred behind the camera and will find Keitel playing “a secular expatriate American schoolmaster in India who struggles to protect his students and school from anti-Gandhian forces.” Sounds like some prestige dramatic fare and worthy vehicle for Keitel’s talents. So then, how on Earth do we explain “The Last Godfather“?
This film by Korean comedian-turned-director Shim Hyung-rae finds Keitel playing a mob boss who has to deal with his illegitimate son. You can watch in wonder at the trailer below; basically it’s as if Mickey Rooney‘s character in “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” decided to make a movie and was given a studio back lot, some borrowed costumes and a budget of about $1000. In case you’re touched with a case of morbid curiosity, the film opens in limited release on April 1st.