 The voice over narration in the opening of the movie ("You dont  make up for your sins in Church; you do it on the street; everything  else is bullshit and you know it...") is actually not said by  Harvey Keitel (qv) (the character we are intended to believe is  thinking these thoughts), but director Martin Scorsese (qv).  Scorsese felt that using a separate voice to make the distinction  between Keitels thoughts and actions was necessary. Scorsese  borrowed this technique from Federico Fellini (qv), who used it in  _Vitelloni, I (1953)_ (qv).