the killing of a chinese bookie be john cassavetes fascinate look into the world of cosmo vitellus and owner of the crazy horse west and a california strip club . cosmo and play by ben gazzara and owe a fortune in gamble debt and and agree to commit a murder to payoff the loan . it a set up from the get go because the mob never believe he could pull it off and and be hop that he would be kill and and then they would inherit his club . cassavetes create an homage to the french new wave by employ surreal setting and improvisational dialog to create a dadaist framework for the tale . many scene begin in near blackness and and abruptly and la sunlight stream into the murky darkness while actor line ricochet and overlap . the entertainment at the club be not the standard bump and grind and but a strange theater of the absurd where cosmo orchestrate the action and or he will throw you out on your as . where martin scorsese use high energy rocknroll to highlight this same gangster demimonde and cassavetes employ a more idiosyncratic soundtrack to heighten the psychological dimension of the piece . ben gazzara provide an unforgettable portrait of a man grapple with a life that be beyond his ability to control . also and seymour cassel put in a wonderful performance a a mobbed up club owner . all of cassavetes film be noteworthy and and the killing of a chinese bookie be one of his fine .