The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) (Blu-Ray) (*)

Out of Stock

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
English ( Dolby Linear PCM )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( Blu-Ray/Region B )

Running Time:
134 min + 109 min extras

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Special Features:
Commentary
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Booklet
Blu-Ray & DVD Combo

Movie filmed in 1976 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
John Cassavetes

Written By:
John Cassavetes

Actors:
Ben Gazzara ..... Cosmo Vittelli
Timothy Carey ..... Flo
Seymour Cassel ..... Mort Weil
Robert Phillips ..... Phil
Morgan Woodward ..... The Boss
John Kullers ..... The Accountant
Al Ruban ..... Marty Reitz
Azizi Johari ..... Rachel
Virginia Carrington ..... Mama
Meade Roberts ..... Mr. Sophistication
Alice Friedland ..... Sherry
Donna Gordon ..... Margo Donnar
Haji ..... Haji
Carol Warren ..... Carol
Derna Wong Davis ..... Derna

Synopsis:

The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie is John Cassavetes' uncompromising character study of a gangster. Cassavetes regular Ben Gazzara (Anatomy Of a Murder, Husbands, The Big Liebowski) plays a seedy Los Angeles strip-club owner who runs up heavy gambling debts which he arranges to wipe out by murdering an elderly Chinese gangster. Also stars Seymour Cassel (Faces, Rushmore) and legendary crime actor Timothy Carey (The Killing, Paths of Glory). Arguably the most plot-driven of his films, Cassavetes withdrew The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie shortly after the initial release and subsequently re-cut a shorter version with a different opening.

John Cassavetes takes a contemporary film noir turn with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. Ben Gazzara plays Cosmo Vitelli, the owner of a sleazy Los Angeles strip joint, who loses $20,000 at a mob gambling club owned by a small time gangster (Seymour Cassel). Since Cosmo doesn't have the $20,000, he is forced to murder a Chinese bookie in order to clear his debt to the mob. What Cosmo doesn't know is he's part of a set-up. The bookie is actually a West Coast mob boss protected around the clock by bodyguards. The mobsters figure that Cosmo will be killed in an impossible hit and they can take over his nightclub. But Cosmo proves luckier than the mobsters think - he manages to kill his target, and now the mobsters have to track down Cosmo and kill him.

Cosmo Vitelli owns the Crazy Horse West, a strip joint in California. He's laconic, a Korean War vet, and a gambler. When we meet him, he's making his last payment on a gambling debt. Then, he promptly loses $23,000 playing poker at an illegal local casino. The guys he owes this time aren't so friendly, pressuring him for immediate payment. Then they suggest that he kill a Chinese bookie to wipe off the debt. Vitelli and the film move back and forth between the double-crossing, murderous insincerity of the gamblers and the friendships, sweetness, and even love among Vitelli, the dancers, a dancer's mother, and the club's singer, Mr. Sophistication.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 19 September, 2013.