The Killing of a Chinese Bookie1976

Crime and show business are strange bedfellows indeed, and John Cassavetes plays both off each other in this uneven but fascinating 70’s crime drama. Cassavetes orchestrates a low-key anti-Noir, devoid of Hollywood pretense or cliché. The gangsters are dumb; the showgirls are ordinary; the numbers in the show are forgettable. Ah, but the show goes on! The film features an amazing cast of characters, from Cassavetes stalwarts Ben Gazzara and Seymour Cassel, to the unpredictable Timothy Carey and “Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill’s” Haji.

The 'crime' portion of this film, that is the screen-time dedicated to the major plot of a gambling debt, a hit gone wrong, and a loose end needing tying, is a disappointingly small island within a greater and more subtle narrative about a hapless dude, his strip club, and the woman he loves. Whereas Travis Bickle in the same year's Taxi Driver found redemption through mindless violence, Cosmo, like Willy Loman, plods toward annihilation while trying to make everything nice.

THIS PIECE OF FILM WAS A MEDIOCRE MELODRAMA NOT TOO INTERESTING THOUGH AT FIRST IT SEEMED A MAFIA PLOT BUT NEVER ROSE TO THAT POINT AT TIMES VERY HARD TO FOLLOW WITH ONLY DECENT DIRECTING..AVERAG CASTIN BEN GAZARRA BEING THE MOST FAMOUS WHO WAS EXCEPTIONAL IN HIS ROLE AS ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the greatest of crime films... Thanks to Cassavetes' low budget documentary style, the grime is so real and close, you practically feel contaminated just by watching these characters. Ben Gazzara's Cosmo Vitelli is not glamorized or romanticized in any way. We have all known or encountered a sleazeball like Cosmo Vitelli. Vitelli and the gangsters he becomes muddled with are not without their share of panache though. White 70s suits remind me of some Fassbinder films, although of course not as tight in the crotch. The cheap flamboyance is that of the small-time hood or pimp. The fact that the characters are not made epic makes the fear and blood seem all the more real, and this is thanks also to very good timing and editing of the shootout scenes. As usual for Cassavetes, he makes the most out of a very limited budget.

Yet another essential film from John Cassavetes featuring Ben Gazzara's finest screen work. Experimental and an oddly hypnotic study in self-created identity. Cassavetes' dip into a Neo-Noir often feels scrambled and disorganized. The movie becomes a sort of Anti-Thriller that cuts deep and is absolutely unforgettable.

Very deliberate, though dull, camera work, particularly for showcasing vulnerability. However, the story line dragged too much. I understand that it's realism, but it's unnecessary, even self-indulgent, to show too much passage of time for such a simple plotline. I also dislike the premise of this movie, using Asians and other POC as a backdrop to showcase flailing white masculinity. The title of this movie is sensationalist, exploitative, and utter crap. At least the protagonist is visibly strained by this--in that aspect this film was done well.

Tits and gangsters, culminating in a pretty good film in the last 20 minutes.

Imagine you have a friend who is going to take you to the train station so that you can catch a train that leaves in thirty minutes. But instead of going right to the station your friend is slowing down to look at interesting houses, going down side streets that look unusual, taking time to drive by something bizarre that is happening on the sidewalk and soon you are wondering whether you are actually going to get the station at all. This is the experience one has watching a John Cassavetes film. He is less interested in getting you to the station then in showing you something interesting along the way. It can be frustrating or fascinating depending on your perspective at the moment. Watching one of his films feels a lot like lingering. So if you like the idea of watching film as an adventure instead of for an adventure you may love him as I do.