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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, 1978 (Director's Cut)
Cosmo (Ben Gazzara) runs a burlesque club in Los Angeles. Cosmo has just made the last payment on a debt he owes to a loan shark. And to celebrate, Cosmo takes a few of his dancers out for a night on the town . . . where he racks up $23,000 in gambling debts. Unwilling to take spaced out payments, the casino owners tell Cosmo he can wipe out his debt . . . if he will murder a local Chinese bookie. Cosmo wrestles with this decision as the people who own his debt grow more and more impatient.
For me, this film teetered on the line between really good and merely good. Gazzara's performance as Cosmo is good--a strong portrayal of someone who makes poor decisions, but who clearly wants to live a decent life. At the same time, Cosmo will do what he needs to do in order to hold on to the club, which clearly is where his heart lies. The other performances are also very strong, with naturalistic style dominating every scene.
The direction if also very solid. The scenes inside Cosmo's club are a mix of slightly claustrophobic, fun, workmanlike, and just a bit seedy/gritty. You can understand why Cosmo loves it, and you can understand why the dancers and the (only?) male actor enjoy working there. Cosmo treats his employees with an easy respect that helps you to like his character more.
For me, the film stumbles a bit as it moves into its final third. What had been mainly a drama kicks into more of a thriller mode, and certain sequences just didn't feel as realistic as what had come before. And by bringing more of the focus to the thriller/logistical part of the story, the moral struggle that Cosmo experienced gets slightly displaced, which is a shame. It sort of takes away from the impact of the decisions he made and how that changes our relationship to him.
I haven't seen the original cut of the film, but I don't think that another 25 minutes of content would have been a good thing. Maybe someone who has seen both versions can comment here.
A good film, but it loses a little oomph in the final act.
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, 1978 (Director's Cut)
Cosmo (Ben Gazzara) runs a burlesque club in Los Angeles. Cosmo has just made the last payment on a debt he owes to a loan shark. And to celebrate, Cosmo takes a few of his dancers out for a night on the town . . . where he racks up $23,000 in gambling debts. Unwilling to take spaced out payments, the casino owners tell Cosmo he can wipe out his debt . . . if he will murder a local Chinese bookie. Cosmo wrestles with this decision as the people who own his debt grow more and more impatient.
For me, this film teetered on the line between really good and merely good. Gazzara's performance as Cosmo is good--a strong portrayal of someone who makes poor decisions, but who clearly wants to live a decent life. At the same time, Cosmo will do what he needs to do in order to hold on to the club, which clearly is where his heart lies. The other performances are also very strong, with naturalistic style dominating every scene.
The direction if also very solid. The scenes inside Cosmo's club are a mix of slightly claustrophobic, fun, workmanlike, and just a bit seedy/gritty. You can understand why Cosmo loves it, and you can understand why the dancers and the (only?) male actor enjoy working there. Cosmo treats his employees with an easy respect that helps you to like his character more.
For me, the film stumbles a bit as it moves into its final third. What had been mainly a drama kicks into more of a thriller mode, and certain sequences just didn't feel as realistic as what had come before. And by bringing more of the focus to the thriller/logistical part of the story, the moral struggle that Cosmo experienced gets slightly displaced, which is a shame. It sort of takes away from the impact of the decisions he made and how that changes our relationship to him.
I haven't seen the original cut of the film, but I don't think that another 25 minutes of content would have been a good thing. Maybe someone who has seen both versions can comment here.
A good film, but it loses a little oomph in the final act.