The Killing of a Chinese BookieEverybody wants their dreams to define them, but in reality, it's our vices that do. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a crime drama about a strip/burlesque club owner named Cosmo Vittelli (Ben Gazzara), and the trials he experiences after racking up a gambling debt with a casino with mob ties. Knowing that Cosmo won't be able to pay off the debt, they pressure him instead into assassinating a "Chinese bookie" who they call "Harold Ling". Cosmo is thus forced to accept this "deal", despite not being a killer, and is confronted with the comprehensive weight of his mistakes on an emotional and visceral level.
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Written and directed by John Cassavetes, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a close, intimate examination of a man who will always dwell in shadow. The film opens with Cosmo finally paying off his debt to a low-level mobster named Marty (Al Ruban) over coffee, declaring that he never wants to see the loan shark again. He is proud of himself for paying his debt to finance his business; but not one day later, he's out with a few of his ladies to go gambling. Notice how when he picks up each one in a rented limo and pins orchids on their dresses (or tries to), it were as if he were taking them on a night on the town to celebrate. But in reality, he is using them as ornaments to make himself appear like a big shot so that he can go to a gambling hall where he was told he could have "unlimited credit". But let's take a step back to explain how Cosmo was enticed into this trap in the first place. On the night after paying his debt, a patron named Mort Weil (Seymour Cassel) comes to his club with a retinue of guests. Mort tells Cosmo repeatedly how much he loves his club, and that he's got one of his own in Santa Monica. Mort plays to Cosmo's need for acceptance in his choice of business--in part because of it's very nature as disreputable, perhaps; the offer of camaraderie and maybe some easy money to make at gambling gets Cosmo to bite the hook. So all along it was a trap, and when an embarrassed Cosmo (and his three equally embarrassed and orchid-pinned ladies) find themselves in the backroom of the gambling hall, with Cosmo signing I.O.U.s to obviously crooked men, it becomes clear that Cosmo will never escape from this life, never escape from the hardship into which he constantly places himself (and others). Based on this snapshot of Cosmo Vittelli, you might be quick to judge that he's a sleaze. (Of course, Ben Gazzara's affability and warmth helps maintain Cosmo as a charming protagonist instead.) At one point, a waitress comes onto him and asks to audition at his club, which he does--privately--much to the infuriation of his girlfriend and employee, Rachel (Azizi Johari). Cosmo should know better. That is the reverberating refrain for The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. But Cosmo strives to uphold an image of himself in his mind, as a successful night club owner who provides his customers with an experience that is "more" than just sex. He attempts diplomacy when disputes arise between his "girls" and his emcee, Terry (Meade Roberts), a host who is essentially a glorified clown, and goes by the moniker of "Mr. Sophistication". I wonder if Lars von Trier was thinking of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie when he was writing his horror movie The House That Jack Built. Both feature men who fail to live up to the estimations they have of themselves, and ultimately pay the price for their pride. In many ways, Mr. Sophistication is an exaggerated version of Cosmo--a sad jester who wants to be loved by his audience, but lacks real talent in his chosen occupation, and is left feeling more rejected and misused with each encounter.
As with other films by Cassavetes, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie deals very closely with human emotions, and interpersonal interactions are the real action of the film. Even though they may appear to add padding, some of the most crucial moments that contribute to understanding the character of Cosmo Vittelli are those in which he is focused on his business. He certainly looks and acts the part of a night club owner. And while he could (and does) delegate some responsibilities to his staff, he clearly enjoys making sure that his establishment is a success--at least in his eyes--by greeting guests personally and announcing each performance with a warmth that also has a faint degree of nervousness to it. This is a huge reason why Mort's trap is so successful; Cosmo has a real problem with self-esteem, even if he masks it well. That mask almost never drops in this movie, and it becomes clear as to why during one of the last speeches he gives during the final act. While quelling a disagreement among his employees, he shares that he sees himself one way, and that is his "truth", but that he has to wear a mask, a false version of himself that he presents to everyone else so that he can operate in the world. This is a truly profound moment of revelation for Cosmo, and it is consistent with themes found in Cassavetes's body of work. This includes a style of acting that he and a colleague (Burt Lane) employed for an acting studio they hosted, which discarded "method acting" in favor one where actors craft a "mask" of their character instead. It should come as no surprise then that one of Cassavetes's breakthrough films was called Faces, since the Greek word "persona" can be used to mean a "mask" or a "face". Delving deeper into this metaphor, the "mask" is also a dominant theme in the works of psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, describing how (in brief) we suffer when we ignore that shadow side of our personalities, the part of us that we are afraid to share with the outside world. The funny thing is that Cosmo's "shadow" is that of someone who desperately wants to be respected, yet he paradoxically engages in activities which either are disrespectful by nature (exploiting women, gambling, drinking) or tries to escape his responsibilities by other dubious or illegal means (most notably, the "killing of a Chinese bookie", as the name of the movie describes). And on that note, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is one of the "darkest" of movies--if not strictly in tone, in cinematography. Cosmo dwells in a world that is perpetually entrenched in shadow. His business operates at night, and within the walls of the Crazy Horse West (his club), what little light there is gets cast on the stage, leaving everyone in the audience (including where Cosmo usually keeps himself) in darkness. As an aside, the video game "Yakuza 0" features an ex-yakuza named Goro Majima who runs a cabaret and is ultimately coerced to kill someone who he initially identifies as a Chinese criminal; Goro's nickname is "lord of the night". Yet Cosmo isn't the "lord" of anything, much less his own destiny. In fact, when Mort and his mobster pals--including the menacing hitman named "Flo" (Timothy Carey)--approach Cosmo to make him an offer that he can't refuse, he is visibly uncomfortable, like a mouse caught in a glue trap. Cosmo dwells in darkness because he is ashamed of who he is, and rather than be a predator, he skulks in the shadows, afraid of facing himself. It is a very human fear that we all face; anyone who says different is just showing you their mask.
Recommended for: Fans of a surprisingly philosophical crime movie and deeply introspective character study. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie has clearly been an influence on writers and filmmakers since it released, and anyone interested in independent filmmaking while crafting a compelling story should make it their business to watch this movie.
As with other films by Cassavetes, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie deals very closely with human emotions, and interpersonal interactions are the real action of the film. Even though they may appear to add padding, some of the most crucial moments that contribute to understanding the character of Cosmo Vittelli are those in which he is focused on his business. He certainly looks and acts the part of a night club owner. And while he could (and does) delegate some responsibilities to his staff, he clearly enjoys making sure that his establishment is a success--at least in his eyes--by greeting guests personally and announcing each performance with a warmth that also has a faint degree of nervousness to it. This is a huge reason why Mort's trap is so successful; Cosmo has a real problem with self-esteem, even if he masks it well. That mask almost never drops in this movie, and it becomes clear as to why during one of the last speeches he gives during the final act. While quelling a disagreement among his employees, he shares that he sees himself one way, and that is his "truth", but that he has to wear a mask, a false version of himself that he presents to everyone else so that he can operate in the world. This is a truly profound moment of revelation for Cosmo, and it is consistent with themes found in Cassavetes's body of work. This includes a style of acting that he and a colleague (Burt Lane) employed for an acting studio they hosted, which discarded "method acting" in favor one where actors craft a "mask" of their character instead. It should come as no surprise then that one of Cassavetes's breakthrough films was called Faces, since the Greek word "persona" can be used to mean a "mask" or a "face". Delving deeper into this metaphor, the "mask" is also a dominant theme in the works of psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, describing how (in brief) we suffer when we ignore that shadow side of our personalities, the part of us that we are afraid to share with the outside world. The funny thing is that Cosmo's "shadow" is that of someone who desperately wants to be respected, yet he paradoxically engages in activities which either are disrespectful by nature (exploiting women, gambling, drinking) or tries to escape his responsibilities by other dubious or illegal means (most notably, the "killing of a Chinese bookie", as the name of the movie describes). And on that note, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is one of the "darkest" of movies--if not strictly in tone, in cinematography. Cosmo dwells in a world that is perpetually entrenched in shadow. His business operates at night, and within the walls of the Crazy Horse West (his club), what little light there is gets cast on the stage, leaving everyone in the audience (including where Cosmo usually keeps himself) in darkness. As an aside, the video game "Yakuza 0" features an ex-yakuza named Goro Majima who runs a cabaret and is ultimately coerced to kill someone who he initially identifies as a Chinese criminal; Goro's nickname is "lord of the night". Yet Cosmo isn't the "lord" of anything, much less his own destiny. In fact, when Mort and his mobster pals--including the menacing hitman named "Flo" (Timothy Carey)--approach Cosmo to make him an offer that he can't refuse, he is visibly uncomfortable, like a mouse caught in a glue trap. Cosmo dwells in darkness because he is ashamed of who he is, and rather than be a predator, he skulks in the shadows, afraid of facing himself. It is a very human fear that we all face; anyone who says different is just showing you their mask.
Recommended for: Fans of a surprisingly philosophical crime movie and deeply introspective character study. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie has clearly been an influence on writers and filmmakers since it released, and anyone interested in independent filmmaking while crafting a compelling story should make it their business to watch this movie.