Sophistication had Mr. Cosmo steps outside, fingering the bloody fabric over his wound, and gazes into the darkness at an uncertain future. Slowly legs and breasts are exposed, and as Cosmo drinks, things almost return to normal. 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. Yet, it is not a film noir, as so often called, for Cassavetes transcends the simpleminded techniques of that genre, and delivers a film of intellectual heft and psychological breadth, where murder blossoms from the seemingly most inane, perfunctory, and inconsequential of moments, and leads to an examination of masculinity and territoriality that has no peers in film. United Artists 64th & Second. This is as hardcore as 20th century character actors ever got. In many of his films, the autobiographical character is not the male lead, but the female lead, played by Rowlands. Goodnight. This is not what he told Rachel he was going to do, but you can forgive him because it’s such an awesome idea. Flo is having a nice meal with a party girl and some mook, and Mort ruins it by telling him that Cosmo killed the Chinaman, meaning Flo has to kill Cosmo. Gazzara plays the operator of a strip club on Sunset Blvd., who problems with the mob force him into the unwanted role of hitman. Kill! Now the stage is set for the final act, as Robert Phillips pursues Cosmo through the parking garage in a houndstooth sportcoat and black turtleneck ensemble. Cosmo heads backstage to see what the holdup is, and finds Mr. That’s the A-frame where the guards are at the end of the path, like in “Kid Charlemagne”. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a 1976 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara. The guys he owes this time aren't so friendly, pressuring him for immediate payment. No kids necessary. New, high-definition digital restorations of the 1976 and 1978 versions of the film, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-ray edition, New interview program featuring actor Ben Gazzara and producer Al Ruban, Audio interview with Cassavetes from the 1970s, English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Pixillation. In the mid-1970s, things were as different from now as night and day. An almost spectral figure of gravitas and theatrical grace, he will provide the film’s most acutely poignant moment, just before the end credits roll. If you put Uma Thurman and Heather Graham into a Brundlefly machine, this is exactly what you would get. The old man sleeps alone, and the guards are all in a nearby A-frame. lingers on the weird and wonderful details in some favorite movies. He was a bankable star who pulled down big paychecks for his work in such films as "Rosemary's Baby," "Two Minute Warning," "The Fury," "Brass Target" and "The Dirty Dozen." Ben was right on; the redux went on to critical acclaim, and inspired much of Scorcese’s direction in Goodfellas. Mort excuses himself from the table, and goes to tell Flo. I would never have noticed the physical resemblance that Mr. Plus, as you enter, there is a huge, completely terrifying man, with a face you will never forget. Featured Theater. And I haven’t even told you about Timothy Carey yet. 2. None of this is spoken. Before Star Wars, cosplay, rap music, American Idol, smartphones, internet porn, slutwalks and Starbucks. The club atmosphere proves too tense for Cosmo. Cosmo pulls upon his inner resources to deliver a pep talk that is by turns oily, inspiring, insulting, jaded, and hopeful. Get info about new releases, essays and interviews on the Current, Top 10 lists, and sales. Just then, a pickup truck loaded with long-haired ne’er-do-wells tears up the street, taunting Cosmo as they happily speed into the hot darkness. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. “I’m great,” he states with absolute certainty. It’s a packed house, as Mr. Instead of entering the club, Cosmo dismisses the driver and walks down the street to an open-patio restaurant. As Flo contemplates this, a single bead of sweat rolls slowly between his eyes. It’s like a wonderful Adults-Only world, and it’s been systematically eradicated from modern life. Gazzara's character of … This is what your dad always warned you about. Anyway, like I said, I have a bar to go to*, and now I want burgers. Monday: Ben Gazzara in "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" (1976), Cassavetes' unseen sleeper, which got little distribution when it was first made, but has gathered a reputation as one of his best and funniest. When he runs afoul of loan sharks, Cosmo must carry out a terrible crime or lose his way of life. “Maybe you should, like, come along… we’re all fairly interested in your experience,” Flo continues with a devilish grin. “I’m a club owner,” Cosmo says, his five o’clock shadow now visible. While the girls get ready, Cosmo talks to the crowd, drink in hand, and says that Rachel has gone on to bigger and better things. If you’re watching it for the first time while reading this, in about an hour and a half, you’ll be astounded at what a bunch of queefs people are these days. The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie may very well be the best film of John Cassavetes. It is clear that this is a bad situation, and bad people are in control. Joshua Z Weinstein has directed the feature documentaries Drivers Wanted and Flying on One Engine. Some chippy asks him what he’s looking at, and he replies with the line I paraphrased above. Two nights ago, I watched the 134 minute version of John Cassavetes' "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" for the first time. Thursday: A new print of "Husbands" (1970), not my favorite, but I haven't seen it since it opened and perhaps his later films have prepared me to see it differently. “I gotta meet some friends at 11 o’clock,” he says. Sophistication sings “Imagination” a cappella on stage. He wistfully reminisces for a few moments, before introducing Mr. Adrenaline pounding, he catches a bus, before jumping off, and into a taxi. The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie succeeds as a great piece of cinema because its lead character is one of the most realistically drawn characters in film history- he’s a thug and a killer, yet one who is explicable. Sophistication croons “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby”, while tossing dollars into the audience spitefully. Flo instructs him that his “new car” runs on wire, so don’t stall it; there’s no key. Roger Ebert praises Dan Schneider's Film Criticism and Website: for a clearly anti-establishment take on the academic poetry scene, as well as fearless, brilliant assessments of many poets, including the famous, with which you may or may not agree (again, it's informed debate that spurs our progress)- try Dan Schneider's. Just “HNNNNNNN”, like a passing wasp. Are they doing “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby” like they’re supposed to? Of course, it’s just Ben and a prop. And don’t put any onions on it, he’s told. Out he goes. The young doorman tells them they can’t park there, and you can see the boys are meaning to play nice. On stage, Mr. Flo looks around, grabs Cosmo by the arm, leads him down a dark alley and beats the shit out of him. A brief aside: this is a film you will never see in “hi-def”. He is a businessman who cannot separate work from personal lives- his girlfriend is the bar’s top stripper, and twenty or more years his junior. The show will go on. Saturday: "Love Streams" (1984), a new print of Cassavetes' last film (some say his greatest), with Rowlands and Cassavetes as sister and brother. How dare you eat that steak, my baby cannot chew it! He dove back into personal filmmaking later in the decade with the devastating domestic drama Faces (1968). For example, here’s people in 1973 reacting to The Exorcist. Cosmo is ushered into the main room by a gruff old creep unimpressed by the dancers; “This entourage of biscuits follow you wherever you go?” Curt introductions are exchanged, and then Cosmo’s credit cards and drivers’ license are requested. He is that fun to read, as well as potentially edifying. We are less than two minutes in. It comes out that Cosmo is a veteran of the Korean War. Cosmo has a deeper connection with the black girl, who lives with her mother. Until Cosmo jumps from the stage, he completely forgets about the bullet in his gut. In this list selected with his filmmaking partner Whitney Horn, the codirector of L for Leisure and Two Plains & a Fancy lingers on the weird and wonderful details in some favorite movies. Cosmo gathers up the redhead, a shorty with amazing gams who looks a little like Linda Blair. Rachel’s mother has taken her away from the club. He wanted you to feel like a voyeur caught up in the tumult of the character's emotions. The texture of everything was tougher, like cigar ashes and concrete. It’ll be a big night. Traffic continues to roar past. See any babies being brought in? When Cosmo finally emerges to pay the piper, Flo runs up to him and shakes BOTH his hands at the same time. They seek love, but it is not sex they crave but total acceptance and security; they rarely find it, and when they do, it is in passages of giddy, manic relief that cannot last. He loses face so badly that the commodore punks him in front of everybody when he asks for “unlimited credit”, exclaiming “I never heard of such a thing.”. She wants to know why, after waiting with him for hours in some craphole casino, Cosmo is happily auditioning a cute new dancer. When he was in full flood, his work alternated with his professional acting jobs, and they clouded the picture. “I got a golden life.”. Vitelli and the film move back and forth between the double … Delerium tremens. It’s all in her face. There is a “punk Chinese” in Chinatown that’s giving the mobsters a lot of grief, and since Cosmo is a former killer of slant-eyed folk, they want him to take care of the issue. There it is, on the screen, bold as brass balls. And he’s even got the respect of Roger Ebert. Sophistication (introduced incorrectly by a new dancer) weaves a tale of Old Paree, the City of Lights, as the ladies dance and frolic half-naked around him. I’m actually proof-reading this bloated article while watching the movie for the second time today. I could spend a happy weekend on those lips alone. They discover they're on exactly the same wavelength, in a romance of exhilarating spontaneity. Cosmo refuses this obvious invitation to a painful death, but Flo is insistent, even after Rachel and her beautiful naked rack make an appearance. And they are. In fact, though, the film's genre trappings are incidental to its central purpose, a character study of the charismatic loser Cosmo Vitelli (Ben Gazzara), a strip club owner who fancies himself an artist as he arranges his club's lame, unsexy nightly shows. I nail its greatness: ' The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie succeeds as a great piece of cinema because its lead character is one of the most realistically drawn characters in film history- he’s a thug and a killer, yet one who is explicable. Mort gives him the directions with a map and flashlight. If he ever blinked, I missed it. ", You may view it here: http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/163661/. Kids, too. Cosmo hits a greasy spoon for the burgers, and the nice lady can’t understand why he’d want 12 hamburgers in a paper bag.