This is my second go at The Killing of a Chinese Bookie as part of my John Cassavetes marathon. In my first attempt a few years ago, I failed to make it all the way through. It baffled and confused me, and I was impatient with it. Though many acolytes of Cassavetes suggests the film requires at least a second viewing in order to find one’s footing. And thankfully, I found mine. This is one of the most original and defiantly unmainstream genre films I have ever seen. It reminds me so much of the Robert Altman films (particularly Nashville, Mash, and McCabe & Mrs. Miller) from the same gloriously wild period of 70s cinema. The film’s challenges lie in the frequent, long and meandering scenes that add little to no inertia to plot progression. This is deliberate. To wonder about the scene’s purpose is to discover its emotional meaning. I connected with the film most of the time, and the baffling and inexplicable moments are, well, like the ones in life. Thus, this is what makes Cassavetes’ style and technique so fascinating and rewarding. There are so many ideas that a three act structure simply cannot contain them all.