Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 1, 2013

John Cassavetes' "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; the re-edited 1978 version of the film; excerpt from an audio interview with director John Cassavetes conducted by film scholars Michel Ciment and Michael Wilson; video interview with actor Ben Gazzara; and producer Al Ruban; and production stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"I'm a club owner. I took a place from nothing and built it into something."

Note: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is part of Criterion's upcoming John Cassavetes: Five Films Blu-ray box set.

Cosmo Vittelli (Ben Gazzara, Opening Night, Anatomy of a Murder) owns and runs the Crazy Horse West, a small striptease club on the Sunset Strip. He loves the place, the ordinary people that visit it, and the girls who do their best to entertain them. But he does not like the loan sharks and the small-time gangsters who occasionally stop by. He feels that they poison the air inside the club and spoil his art (the cheap numbers he creates for the girls and the club’s odd talisman, "Mr. Sophistication").

A large gambling debt forces Cosmo to meet a group of local wise guys (Seymour Cassel, Morgan Woodward, Timothy Carey, Robert Phillips, John Kullers) who demand that he immediately pays what he owes if he wishes to continue running the club. When Cosmo confesses to them that he does not have the money, they offer him a 'reasonable' deal: If Cosmo agrees to kill an influential Chinese gangster for them, they will forget about his gambling debt. At first Cosmo rejects the deal, but after one of the wise guys, a bubbly regular at the club, bruises his ribs, he changes his mind. Another wise guy then gives him a gun and a stolen car.

Barely able to contain his anger but realizing that he is in a tight spot, Cosmo drives to the Chinese gangster’s heavily guarded home.

John Cassavetes' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a somewhat misleading film. It is structured and shot as a gangster film, but it is actually a fascinating character study of an artist who is forced out of his comfort zone and presented with a number of difficult dilemmas. His art is different, but he loves his work because it is the only thing in his life that allows him to be spontaneous, creative, and in a way also normal.

In an archival interview included on this release, Gazzara, who passed away in 2012, explains that his character’s dilemmas were very similar to those Cassavetes faced as an actor and director. Cassavetes frequently had to make compromises as an actor so that he can afford to shoot his films later on. Like the wise guys Cosmo meets in front of his club, there were people in Cassavetes’ life who made it extremely difficult for him to be the artist he wanted to be.

Seen and analyzed from such a different angle, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie really is a fascinating film. Cosmo does his best to remain true to his principles and encourage creativity in the club, but the game of survival proves to be an impossible one to win. Turn everything around now and imagine Cassavetes trying to remain true to his principles in a studio system run by bullies - it is a very similar game that couldn't be won.

The initial reactions to The Killing of a Chinese Bookie were very similar to those Shadows generated - the audience was not impress. As a result, the original 1976 version of the film was pulled from theaters after only seven days. Two years later, Cassavetes re-edited and consequently re-released the film.

Both versions of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie are included on Criterion’s Blu-ray release. The original 1976 version runs at approximately 134 minutes. The re-edited 1978 version is nearly thirty minutes shorter. It runs at approximately 109 minutes.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Cassavetes' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

Please note that screencaptures included with this review appear in the following order:

1. 1978 Version: Screencaptures #1-19
2. 1976 Version: Screencaptures #21-24

The following text appear inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine from a 35mm color reversal internegative and restored by Criterion. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm magnetic audio track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation.

Transfer supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Modern VideoFilm, Burbank, CA."

Despite the frequent camera movement and at times rather problematic shooting conditions inside the club, clarity is very good. Some minor contrast fluctuations are present, but they are also inherited. (The club footage and the outdoor footage were shot by different DPs). Close-ups with sufficient light look very good (see screencapture #4). Color stability and color density and good. Also, there are no traces of color boosting to report in this review. Problematic degraining and sharpening corrections have not been performed. Unsurprisingly, light grain is visible throughout the entire film. However, some of it is occasionally mixed with extremely light noise. Additionally, some tiny flecks pop up here and there, but there are no large cuts, damage marks, warps, or stains. Image stability excellent throughout the entire film. All in all, this a good organic presentation of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie that should please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore., you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

There are tiny bits of music, but the film does not have a prominent soundtrack. There are some extremely minor fluctuations in terms of dynamic intensity, but they are undoubtedly part of the film's sound design. Depth and stability are very good, and there is no problematic background hiss. Also, the audio is free of pops, cracks, dropouts, and distortions.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Stills Gallery - this gallery features behind-the-scenes photos of the cast and crew on the set of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. (1080p).

• Ben Gazzara and Al Ruban - in this excellent interview piece, actor Ben Gazzara (Cosmo) and and producer Al Ruban discuss their contributions to The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and recall their interactions with John Cassavetes during the shooting of the film. The two gentlemen also discuss the initial reactions to the 1976 version of the film. The interviews were conducted exclusively for Criterion in Los Angeles and New York in 2004. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080i).

• Cassavetes Audio Interview - an excerpt from an audio interview with director John Cassavetes conducted by film scholars Michel Ciment and Michael Wilson in 1978. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).
  
  1. A genre film?
  2. Young filmmakers
  3. Revolutionary
  4. "Better than living"

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Cassavetes' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a very personal, very stylish and unusually thought-provoking film that will have a different impact on different viewers. Criterion's Blu-ray release contains the original 1976 version and the re-edited 1978 version of the film. Contrary to what has been said about the longer 1976 version, I think that it is just as powerful. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is pure American cinema at its best. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.