The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

film by Cassavetes [1976]

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July 16, 2026

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"The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" is a 1976 American independent film directed by John Cassavetes. The film stars Ben Gazzara as Cosmo Vitelli, the owner of a Los Angeles strip club who is deeply in debt to the mob. Forced by his creditors to commit a murder, Cosmo must carry out the hit on a Chinese bookie to clear his debts.1

The film is known for its gritty realism and exploration of moral ambiguity, characteristic of Cassavetes's independent filmmaking style. It delves into the psychological toll of violence and desperation on its characters. Despite initial critical reception, it is now recognized as a significant work in Cassavetes's filmography.1

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John Cassavetes
Independent filmmaker: 1960s and ’70s
…filmmaking with the crime drama The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), in which Gazzara played the debt-ridden owner of a strip joint forced by the mob to commit a murder. The ambitious Opening Night (1977) also had its problems, including one that often plagued Cassavetes’s films, the perception of…
Read More
…filmmaking with the crime drama The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), in which Gazzara played the debt-ridden owner of a strip joint forced by the mob to commit a murder. The ambitious Opening Night (1977) also had its problems, including one that often plagued Cassavetes’s films, the perception of…
Read More