Hollywood strip club owner and gambler, Cosmo (Gazzara) is able to pay off his loan shark, and he believes things are looking up when he is invited by his mob-connected friend, Mort (Seymour Cassel) to the gang’s exclusive, private gambling club. Only later, after losing thousands of dollars he cannot repay, does Cosmo realize he has been set up. The two main bosses (Morgan Woodward and Timothy Carey) offer to erase his debt if he’ll carry out a contract on a seemingly low echelon bookie in Chinatown. Reluctantly agreeing, Cosmo is surprised again when he makes the hit, finding his target is a heavily guarded Chinese mafia kingpin. Seriously injured, Cosmo refuses to tend to his wound, much to the consternation of his stripper girlfriend (Azizi Johari) and her mother. He then goes in search of Mort and his bosses for some violent payback. One of Cassavetes’ most entertaining and underrated movies.
“When John Cassavetes makes a gangster movie, you can be sure only that it will be like no other… Cassavetes is like a jazz soloist, an improviser who tears off on wild riffs from a basic, familiar melody.” – Jay Cocks, Time Magazine
Chris D. discusses The Killing of a Chinese Bookie on the New Beverly blog.
