The Killing of a Chinese Bookie1976
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Ben Gazzarra gives a grand performance as a hard-pressed debtor with delusions of grandeur in this naturalistic and tense thriller.
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Cosmo Vittelli
as Flo
as Mort
as Phil
as Mr. Sophistication
as Rachel
as Sherry
as Margo
as John the Boss
as Betty the Mother
as Eddie
as Eddie "Red" (Gangster)
as Marty Reitz
as The Chinese Bookie
as Haji
as Carol
as Derna
as Annie
as Yvette
as Musical director
as Sonny Venice
as Lamarr
as Waitress
as Waitress
as Cabby
as Cabby
as Sonny
as Commodore
as The Chinese Bookie
as Bartender
as Vince
as Blair Benoit
as Lavinia
as The Bookie's Girl
as Mickey
as Scooper
as Flo's Friend
as Parking Lot Attendant
as Poker Player
as Poker Player
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Critic Reviews for The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
All Critics (28) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (6) | DVD (3)
The genre elements are mostly subterfuge because otherwise [Cassavetes would] basically be bleeding on the screen.
When Cassavetes is really cooking, even the moments that are awkward and forced can become electric.
With a heavily improvised script Cassavetes gets the most from his actors, each giving emotive performances.
John Cassavetes, who made much of his money performing in action films, put that experience to work as the director of this hard, brooding crime drama
There's no cinematography credit, which suggests Cassavetes either added that hat to his writer-director wardrobe, or the real culprit left town ahead of the posse.
It's rather like a shaggy dog story operating inside a chase movie. Chinese Bookie is the more insouciant, involuted and unfathomable of the two; the curdled charm of Gazzara's lopsided grin has never been more to the point.
Audience Reviews for The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
An offbeat but unique take on the noir genre keys that might seem to go nowhere most of the time and yet brings some freshness and bravado.
Super Reviewer
Gazzara is amazing. But the real star is Cassavete's direction. The way this film slowly transforms is amazing.
Super Reviewer
Cosmo Vitelli is the owner of a strip club on the sunset strip in Los Angeles, and his business is slow. He's an ex-New Yorker who's re-located to L.A. and is trying to be a big shot, only he doesn't seem to get much respect, but boy, there sure is an air of impending doom surrounding the guy. He goes to the casino of a fellow club owner and tries to be a bigshot in front of his girls, but winds up with a $23,000 debt to what is clearly a mob family. In order to forgive his debt, they want him to kill a chinese bookie they claim owes them money. All is not as it seems to be though, neither with the set-up nor Cosmo Vitelli himself. The film itself isn't directed in a very accessible way, there's lots of random close-ups and off camera dialogue, but it is engrossing (it seems to slightly imitate the Scorsese style, and not just because of the gangster element). Anyway, since when does art always have to be assessible? The soundtrack is near barren, almost the only time music is heard is when the characters on the screen are hearing it. All Cosmo wants to do is run his nightclub and it seems he'll do anything to keep things normal. Perhaps even something crazy as he may be crazier than he let's on. There's more to this low budget crime drama than suspected at first as well.
Super Reviewer
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