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IMDbPro

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

  • 19761976
  • RR
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
13K
YOUR RATING
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
Trailer for this film from John Cassavetes
Play trailer2:01
2 Videos
73 Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Thriller
A proud strip club owner is forced to come to terms with himself as a man when his gambling addiction gets him in hot water with the mob, who offer him only one alternative.A proud strip club owner is forced to come to terms with himself as a man when his gambling addiction gets him in hot water with the mob, who offer him only one alternative.A proud strip club owner is forced to come to terms with himself as a man when his gambling addiction gets him in hot water with the mob, who offer him only one alternative.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
13K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • John Cassavetes
  • Writer
    • John Cassavetes
  • Stars
    • Ben Gazzara
    • Timothy Carey
    • Seymour Cassel
Top credits
  • Director
    • John Cassavetes
  • Writer
    • John Cassavetes
  • Stars
    • Ben Gazzara
    • Timothy Carey
    • Seymour Cassel
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 80User reviews
    • 68Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
    Trailer 2:01
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 10
    Video 28:39
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 10

    Photos73

    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
    Shadows (1958)
    Trisha Pelham in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ben Gazzara
    Ben Gazzara
    • Cosmo Vittelli
    Timothy Carey
    Timothy Carey
    • Flo
    • (as Timothy Agoglia Carey)
    Seymour Cassel
    Seymour Cassel
    • Mort Weil
    Robert Phillips
    Robert Phillips
    • Phil
    Morgan Woodward
    Morgan Woodward
    • The Boss
    John Kullers
    • The Accountant
    • (as John Red Kullers)
    Al Ruban
    • Marty Reitz
    Azizi Johari
    • Rachel
    Virginia Carrington
    • Mama
    Meade Roberts
    • Mr. Sophistication
    Alice Friedland
    • Sherry
    Donna Gordon
    • Margo Donnar
    • (as Donna Marie Gordon)
    Haji
    Haji
    • Haji
    Carol Warren
    • Carol
    Kathalina Veniero
    • Annie
    Yvette Morris
    • Yvette
    Jack Ackerman
    • Musical Director
    David Rowlands
    David Rowlands
    • Lamarr
    • Director
      • John Cassavetes
    • Writer
      • John Cassavetes
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ben Gazzara was unhappy with the role initially, unable to find a way to connect to Cosmo Vitelli. That changed when shooting a scene, Cassavetes spoke to Gazzara about the gangsters in the film as a metaphor for the people who are constantly trying to steal or ruin people's dreams. Cassavetes started to cry and Gazzara saw that playing Cosmo was representing John Cassavetes and the movie was a metaphor for the director's struggles for his own dreams.
    • Goofs
      Flo says "That jerk Karl Marx said opium is the religion of the people." The actual Marx quote is "Religion is the opiate of the masses."
    • Quotes

      Cosmo Vitelli: Now, teddy. Teddy. Everything takes work. We'll straighten it out. You know. You gotta work hard to be comfortable. Yeah, a lot of people kid themselves, you know. They-they know when they were born, they know where they're goin'... they know whether they're gonna go to heaven,whether they're gonna go to hell. They think they know that. They kid themselves. Right? But the only people... who are, you know, happy... are the people who are comfortable. That's right. Now, you take, uh, uh, carol, right? A dingbat, right? A ding-a-ling.A dingo. That's what people think she is,'cause that's the truth they want to believe. But, uh, you put her in another situation, right? Put her in a situation that's tough. Stress. Where she's up against something,you'll see she's no fool. Right. 'cause what's your truth... is my falsehood What's my falsehood is your truth and vice versa. Well, look. Look at me, right? I'm only happy when I'm angry... when I'm sad, when i can play the fool... when i can be what people want me to be rather than be myself.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening scene has Chinese characters scrolling up, similar to a movie from China or Hong Kong.
    • Alternate versions
      The original version runs 135 minutes. Two years after the release director John Cassavetes prepared a different theatrical cut with a running time of 108 minutes, both adding and removing scenes resulting in a different film.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: If We Owned a Movie Theater - Overlooked Films: The Conversation, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Real Life, The Green Wall, And Now My Love, Happy New Year (1980)
    • Soundtracks
      I Can't Give You Anything but Love
      (uncredited)

      Music by Jimmy McHugh

      Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

      Performed by Meade Roberts and others

    User reviews80

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    A WONDERFULLY MADE FILM!
    A film like John Cassavetes' "The Killing of A Chinese Bookie" is one of those films that Roger Ebert often says "either grabs you or leaves you". This one grabbed me. It is perhaps the least liked film of the precious few Cassavetes wrote and directed, but it's an honest film that doesn't pull any punches. It's kind of a predecessor to "Goodfellas" and "Casino".

    While Cassavetes' film lacks the polish of the two Scorsese films, I think that benefits "Killing". This is not a glossy, "high-concept" film that Hollywood prefers (although Scorsese is certainly not "high-concept"); it is a rough, confusing muddle and that is probably one of the reasons the film remains highly unseen by a great many people. However, I like rough, confusing films and one of the great pleasures is trying to figure everything out. The beauty of a John Cassavetes film is that there are no easy answers and he likes you to make your own reading on the film.

    As always with a Cassavetes film, he gives juicy parts to his regulars. Ben Gazzara is excellent as Cosmo Vitelli, the nightclub owner who needs to perform the title deed to save his club. Seymour Cassel gives a strong performance as a friend of Cosmo. Cassel and Gazarra are two of those actors whose names you won't recognize, but when you see their faces, you'll recognize them. They love to take risks with their performances and you can see the payoffs for yourselves.

    After a half-assed release by Buena Vista in 1989, "Killing of A Chinese Bookie" is finally available on tape and DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment. The transfer is clean and looks great and the letterbox presentation shows that Cassavetes knew how to use his camera, even if the aspect ratio is small.
    helpful•40
    9
    • KatMiss
    • Apr 17, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 15, 1976 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Smrt kineskog kladionicara
    • Filming locations
      • Gazzarri's, 9039 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Faces Distribution
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $11,406
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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