Killing of a Chinese Bookie (The Criterion Collection)

John Cassavetes engages film noir in his own inimitable style with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. Ben Gazzara brilliantly portrays gentlemen s club owner Cosmo Vitelli, a man dedicated to pretenses of composure and self-possession. When he runs afoul of a group of gangsters, Cosmo is forced to commit a horrible crime in a last-ditch effort to save his beloved club and his way of life. Suspenseful, mesmerizing, and idiosyncratic, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a thought-provoking examination of desperation and masculine identity. Available for the first time as a stand-alone release, from the box set John Cassavetes: Five Films.

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
Restored high-definition digital transfer of John Cassavetes original 1976, 135-minute edit of the film
Restored high-definition digital transfer of Cassavetes 108-minute edit from the 1978 theatrical rerelease
Video interviews with star Ben Gazzara and producer Al Ruban
Audio interview with Cassavetes by film historians Michel Ciment and Michael Wilson, conducted after the film s release
Stills gallery featuring rare, behind-the-scenes production photos
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by Phillip Lopate and interviews with Cassavetes