Search - The Killing of a Chinese Bookie on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1976 DVD Release: 04/06/1999 Format: DVD Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 49 mins Studio: Geneon Members Wishing: 2 Genres: Crime, Crime Drama See Also: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie [Special Edition] [Criterion Collection]

John Cassavetes takes a contemporary film noir turn (which he would return to in Gloria) after exploring domestic melodrama in A Woman Under the Influence 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. Initially, at 133 minutes, the movie was subsequently re-edited by Cassavetes to 109 minutes. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Ben Gazzara - Cosmo Vitelli
Timothy Carey - Flo
Azizi Johari - Rachel
Meade Roberts - Mr. Sophistication
Seymour Cassel - Mort Weil

The Pioneer Special Edition DVD of John Cassavetes' 1976 film The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is light on extra features, but does include an illuminating essay from Boston University film professor Ray Carney on the significance and uniqueness of Cassavetes' films and characters. Save for the scene selections, no other bonuses are included with this DVD, not even the standard trailer or subtitles. (In a way, this method of product packaging is as un-Hollywood as Cassavetes himself.) Lack of extras aside, the film at least looks great. The colors are bright, the sound is vivid, and it's a pleasure to watch a left-of-field film such as this one in such a clear manner. It should be noted that the version presented here is not the 135-minute theatrical release, but the 109-minute director's cut Cassavetes made in 1978. ~ Jose Promis, All Movie Guide