 |  | Slow as Molasses, but Features a Truly Unusual Noir Protagonist. |  |
"The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" is John Cassavetes' contribution to the downbeat neo-noir style of the 1970s. Cassavetes wrote and directed this story of a hard-working strip club owner whose ego lands him in hot water with the mob. Cosmo Vitelli (Ben Gazzara) has finally paid off the debt on his club, and he celebrates by donning a tux and taking three of his lovely ladies to a private gambling club for an elegant evening. High on his own success, Cosmo runs up a debt of $23,000. The club's underworld owners say they will erase his debt if Cosmo kills a bookie in Chinatown who has been cutting into their business. "I may be stupid, but I'm not a fool," Cosmo replies.
This film has a languorous pace, to put it mildly. A lot of time is spent tooling around Los Angeles with Cosmo and watching the absurd burlesque shows at his club that seem entirely devoid of entertainment value. I did not become comfortable with the pace until an hour into the film, and I think it would have benefited from cutting 20 minutes. Dialogue is spare and almost unnecessary until the film's final minutes. The story is told visually, primarily through Cosmo's actions. That's a good thing, because the dialogue is often mumbled, and the volume is erratic. I don't know if that's a problem with this transfer or if the actors weren't miked properly.
In spite of pacing and sound problems, I really like Ben Gazzara's performance. Cosmo is a sleaze, but a lesser sleaze than those around him. He is completely committed to his business to the point of checking up on it while on his way to commit a murder. He's a self-made man with more savvy than his gambling debt would imply, embittered by the mobsters who suddenly control his destiny, but ultimately bemused by his predicament. The villains are an odd lot. There are five of them, seemingly inseparable, who rule by their own little argumentative committee. The film's structure is certainly open to criticism, but "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" is worth seeing for Cosmo.
The DVD (Pioneer 1999): There are 2 versions of "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie". This is the 108-minute edit released in 1978. The original edit, released in 1976, was 135 minutes. This print looks fine in well-lit scenes, but there is a lot of grain in a few scenes that are dark. Sound is a bigger problem. I had to adjust the volume on my remote for each scene with dialogue, sometimes more than once during the scene. There are no subtitles available.
November 15, 2008 | | Ben Gazzara plays so well the club owner with a personal touch | |
Ben Gazzara's character is a classic in this story of a strip club owner's troubles with the underworld. It's one of my favorites too with its dark and sleazy atmosphere and the characters that drive this story. The gangsters are not cartoon characters. They actually have personalities. In fact, this film has many colorful characters. The Criterion version is longer and exposes more of this tawdry world but it is part of an expensive five film collection. This film deserves to be seen in the longer version.
June 18, 2006| | | Behind-the-scenes info for Cass buffs | |
For a fascinating behind-the-scenes info about The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and a list of books about Cassavetes' work, go to Ray Carney's website dedicated to John Cassavetes (found through any search engine).
January 26, 2005an indebeted club owner has to knockoff a prolific underworld figure as means of settling his tab. subtext abounds in this noir classic.
June 23, 2004| | | Its A Mood And A Feeling It Gives You | |
One of my favorite films ever. Gazzara gives an incredible performance. One of Cassavetes' best films. I have been greatly influenced by this film in my wanting to become a film director.
March 24, 2004More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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