The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

1976 2h 15m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

79%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 308🍅79%Rotten Tomatoes●65Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 15,263

ThrillerCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Cosmo Vittelli, the proprietor of a sleazy, low-rent Hollywood cabaret, has a real affection for the women who strip in his peepshows and the staff who keep up his dingy establishment. He also has a major gambling problem that has gotten him in trouble before. When Cosmo loses big-time at an underground casino run by mobster Mort, he isn't able to pay up. Mort then offers Cosmo the chance to pay back his debt by knocking off a pesky, Mafia-protected bookie.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ben Gazzara
Cosmo Vittelli
Timothy Carey
Flo
Seymour Cassel
Mort Weil
Robert Phillips
Phil
Morgan Woodward
The Boss
Al Ruban
Marty Reitz
Azizi Johari
Rachel
Haji
Haji

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Cassavetes
Writers: John Cassavetes
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

50 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Cassavetes, shot by Al Ruban. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bo Harwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tom Cornwell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Ben Gazzara and Timothy Carey and Seymour Cassel carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0074749 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Cassavetes directs. Al Ruban behind the camera. Bo Harwood scores. Tom Cornwell cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

150 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by John Cassavetes, shot by Al Ruban. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Bo Harwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Tom Cornwell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Ben Gazzara and Timothy Carey and Seymour Cassel carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0074749 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 18 themes, including "gambling debt", "striptease", "strip club", "coercion".