This early masterpiece by Scorsese—and the film that put him on the map as a director—is set in New York's Little Italy and features a tremendous cast that included then unknown actors Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. Keitel plays an aspiring mobster whose fledgling career is hindered by his relationship to Catholicism, his love for a young woman, and his attachment to an irresponsible friend. A superlative 1960s soundtrack is brilliantly integrated into the gritty portrayal of gangland life, and the jagged and immediate photography and editing influenced an entire generation of American directors.