it be say by many that chinese bookie be the tough of any cassavetes film to digest . there be many slow passage ( here i be refer to the 1976 original version ) and many moment of embarrass awkwardness and a you be force to watch extended sequence fill with player who aren not any more talented or skilled than those at your local summer stock production or junior high school play . yet and it very difficult not to be compel by the story and especially a embody in the character of cosmo vitellus and who ben gazzara seem to channel effortlessly and a if he be a second and transparent skin . cosmo be a fascinating character . he own a rather ratty strip club or cabaret joint on the sunset strip that front production value and performer of the quality mention earlier and do middle business and and spends nearly every dime he make live the high life or the the image of what someone in his profession should espouse . he swill $ 100 bottle of champagne and cruise around town in his plush chauffeur caddy and an entourage of bimbettes in tow and usually to a dive mob run poker joint that inevitably land him in massive debt . he would be an easy character to scorn or mock in another film and but not a gazzara and cassavetes portray him . cosmo be proud of his little world and his accomplishment and and far more and could not give a damn if anyone doesn not approve of them . you have no style and he sneer at gangster al ruban early in the film after the thug condescend to him . as weird a it sound and you have to respect someone like that and even when he find himself increasingly trap by circumstance and succumb to self doubt . at the end of the picture he say how important it be to feel comfortable with oneself and while we do not believe for a second that cosmo really feel this way and we know he want to . it a refreshingly human response in a movie that only contain more of the same . it not a conventional audience pleaser by any mean and but if you have watch other cassavetes picture and like his candid stream of consciousness style and give the 1978 edit version of bookie a watch before you see the original . cass not only cut half an hour of footage and he do it with ( what else . ) incredible style and creativity and really tighten the structure of the film a a whole and considerably juicing it already engage premise . quite possibly the most overlooked gem from one of the 60 and 70 most commercially under appreciate director .