763. and the question be represent how many time do we get to see a close up of ben gazzara rub his hand over his face while fail to convey any emotion in john cassavetes the killing of a chinese bookie . i suppose film fan have to be admire for their open mind attitude . no matter how terrible a film be some group of moviegoer somewhere will declare it brilliant and maybe even genius . in fact and some movie get more critical acclaim the more awful they be represent if i film a brick wall for two solid hour and add a soundtrack of moose hump i just might earn an oscar nom . and i would be guarantee to have a film good than this one . the killing of a chinese bookie be for lack of a good description a character drive crime film . it be also an endurance test represent scene be stretch to mind numbing length and sloppy and improvised dialogue fly by and crash to the floor and and the bulk of the film be devote to watch the pathetically unrealistic floor show at a strip club or cabaret own by gazzara cosmo character . first of all and be we really suppose to believe that anyone would pay to see such a morbid and depress show . men go to strip club to see breast and cheek and lipp and to throw single and get drunk and bust a nut in the champagne room . here cassavetes want u to believe that the girl dance in poorly choreograph theme number while a fat and flamboyant mc sings torch song in front of kindergarten quality cardboard prop . and every now and again one of the girl pop a nipple . the idea of this passing for adult entertainment be a absurd today a it be in 1976 while this be a director indulge in pointlessly maudlin over dramatics . sadly these sequence be ten time well than the rest of the film . gazzara incur gamble debt with some local mobster and and luckily for u the director include every frame of this action free sequence . the movie be pad out with silence and linger take and fatal closeup and character groan for no particular reason . i get what cassavetes be go for here and i do and but he do it to such a cloying extreme that i end up go numb within the first fifteen minute . a slowly pace film that give actor time to emote and breathe on screen can be wonderful . but there so little go on in term of character and story that it become a stunt and and a grate one at that . the mob strong arm cosmo into kill a chinese bookie in order to pay off his gamble debt and and the sequence be so anti climactic that it almost laughable . he walk in to the chinaman house supposedly a heavily guard fortress with about a much difficulty a walk into a taco bell . his escape involve a light jog and a bus ride ( you hear me ) and then he back at his club to watch the girl do their show and blissfully unaware that the mob now intend to kill him to cover up their track . and so we move into the best sequence of the film represent the scene with timothy carey . carey be a character actor truly insane with role in path of glory and the killing and and the world great sinner . it only when he on screen that the film be alive and gain some sense of purpose . even with an underdeveloped character and questionable direct carey manages to create a lasting impression . it too bad he vanish on a whim that play like a bad plot device and leave u to another hour of nothingness . oh and cosmo be evidently shoot in the belly while off the coolie and a scene the director just do not feel like film . now he walk around with what be in reality one of the most bloody and painful wound to the human body but somehow cosmo hold in all the blood and feel none of the pain . ( i love your brave quest for absolute reality and mr. cassavetes . ) the magic bullet wound simply disappear while cosmo visit his girlfriend and evades two mafia gunman and give a motivational speech to his employee and perform a one man monologue on the cabaret stage . hooray . be shoot in the gut be never this much fun . or bore . even this implausible sequence be film in coma vision and and you will be pray for a bullet to your own abdomen just to make the hurting stop . look and i could go on like this . the movie be a pretentious waste of time . cassavetes drown a potentially dynamic crime script with endlessly hollow filler . if you think you can make it and i wish you luck and but a a guy genuinely try to save you time i urge you to move on . we start shoot the brick wall pic on monday . grade represent d .