Benjamin
15Feb12
Dude. Couldn't agree more. I consider that a positive review. My love for this movie has grown significantly post-viewing.
Wall
Displaying wall posts 1 - 30 of 39 in total
Espen Nomedal
29May12
I did'nt like it at all the first time, but now, several years later it's like watching a new film completely. I'm surprised by how close we get to hese suited up gangsters, gamblers, entertainers and young girls. They don't seem directed! On stage in red and blue spotlight or out on the streets I'm reminded how wonderful Ben Gazzara can be as an actor - playing Cosmo Vitelli with such generousity and brimful style.
Danny Indio
29May12
yes the movie is long but what a character study, all the actors reveal something interesting about humanity at almost every point and Cassavetes camerawork showed lots of unique artistry. I'm glad I saw the long 134 minute version.
Alex Mamontoff
19May12
this is also my first cassavetes here, and it certainly won't the last. this quasi-crime-noir is one of the most unique films I've seen.
Melanie
5May12
I enjoyed these kind of an anti-film .. straightforward and hypnotic. the unprecise handheld camerawork & the natural staging make you feel as if you were witness of this sad story , in this sad club. a bit long though ?
Danny Indio likes this
Stu Witmer
6Feb12
I remember seeing "Killing of a Chinese Bookie" in a school gym in Gdansk, Poland c.1977. The audience was mostly older Poles who had no problems talking loudly throughout the movie. The film seemed to be presented as a prime example of the degeneracy of Western Society, but it was clear from the commentary of the men present that they were there to see the zaftig Amerikan females.
micah gottlieb and Madagascar like this
Langston Young likes this
Michael-John
19Jan12
Incredibly hypnotic, economical film making. Mr. Sophistication totally satisfied my Lynch-born cravings for somber stage performances, and Ben Gazarra is smooth as hell as Cosmo Vitelli in his own two-bit way.
Steve Michael Trager
31Dec11
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in the related films section?? Someone please pinpoint what she and Cosmo Vitelli have in common...
Elliot Kern
13Sep11
Why is this film so widely hated? It's quite novel, a distorted crime noir which meshes the styles of Godard and early Scorsese while maintaining Cassavetes' unique character focus. I find it very absorbing, and believe every second. Who couldn't with performances like these? I particularly love the Rachel character and her mother, and Ben Gazzara is (as always) delightful.
Franklinton Underground Cinema
7Sep11
Many elements here from the best of Coppola and Scorsese in the Seventies, infused with Cassavetes claustrophobic "Faces" style of (non) framing. Outstanding performances.
Johnny Vong
18Jul11
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. What makes John Cassavetes' technique so fascinating and rewarding is that he revels in the messiness, the diversions, then expects us to find truth in it all.
KURTZCUZ likes this
Brandon Greene
7Jun11
Watching this again tonight, I decided to take jpg snapshots throughout the viewing, so as to isolate some of the more intriguing frames of the film. I was incredibly pleased with the results; the photography of this film, consistently, makes this film my most cherished Cassavetes. The contrasting, bold colors, saturated through the film stock, and the genius lighting brings out the emotional power of the characters.
odilonvert
8Feb11
Awesome, I saw the second (shorter) version. The commentary by Ben Gazzara and Al Ruban on the Criterion disc was wonderful, it gave so much insight into how Cassavetes worked, what he was about. It's a pity he's no longer around...
Andhika Eka Buana
6Dec10
Actually my comment is the antithesis of Keldon. The FIRST 10 or 15 minutes of this are really damn good. So great that i think this will be my favorite of Cassavetes. But then, the last half of the film is so underwhelmed, and least to say, quite a bit boring.
DT likes this
Hideous Bitch Princess
28Jul10
John Cassevetes' films have a terrifically rough sense of musicality, the product of static that meets somewhere between beautiful harmony and dissonant noise. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie provides a perfect example of the powerful and lingering experience that can be created when the two are successfully blended.
