Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

  • 1976
  • R
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
17K
YOUR RATING
Ben Gazzara in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
Trailer for this film from John Cassavetes
Play trailer2:01
1 Video
76 Photos
GangsterPsychological DramaPsychological ThrillerCrimeDramaThriller

Sleazy strip club owner Cosmo Vittelli is pressured into wiping out underworld power.Sleazy strip club owner Cosmo Vittelli is pressured into wiping out underworld power.Sleazy strip club owner Cosmo Vittelli is pressured into wiping out underworld power.

  • Director
    • John Cassavetes
  • Writer
    • John Cassavetes
  • Stars
    • Ben Gazzara
    • Timothy Carey
    • Seymour Cassel
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    17K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Cassavetes
    • Writer
      • John Cassavetes
    • Stars
      • Ben Gazzara
      • Timothy Carey
      • Seymour Cassel
    • 97User reviews
    • 50Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro

    • Videos1

    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
    Trailer 2:01
    The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

    Photos76

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 69
    View Poster

    Top Cast41

    Ben Gazzara
    Ben Gazzara
    • Cosmo Vittelli
    Timothy Carey
    Timothy Carey
    • Flo
    • (as Timothy Agoglia Carey)
    Seymour Cassel
    Seymour Cassel
    • Mort Weil
    Robert Phillips
    Robert Phillips
    • Phil
    Morgan Woodward
    Morgan Woodward
    • The Boss
    John Kullers
    • The Accountant
    • (as John Red Kullers)
    Al Ruban
    • Marty Reitz
    Azizi Johari
    • Rachel
    Virginia Carrington
    • Mama
    Meade Roberts
    • Mr. Sophistication
    Alice Friedland
    • Sherry
    Donna Gordon
    • Margo Donnar
    • (as Donna Marie Gordon)
    Haji
    • Haji
    Carol Warren
    • Carol
    Kathalina Veniero
    • Annie
    Yvette Morris
    • Yvette
    Jack Ackerman
    • Musical Director
    David Rowlands
    David Rowlands
    • Lamarr
    • Director
      • John Cassavetes
    • Writer
      • John Cassavetes
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews97

    7.216.6K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Summary

    Reviewers say 'The Killing of a Chinese Bookie' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
    Sign in to see this summary and all user reviews
    See opinions from fans, or write your own review.
    Sign in to IMDb
    This extra step helps us keep IMDb's reviews a space for genuine, human voices.

    More like this

    Faces
    7.4
    Faces
    Shadows
    7.2
    Shadows
    Opening Night
    7.8
    Opening Night
    A Woman Under the Influence
    8.0
    A Woman Under the Influence
    Husbands
    7.0
    Husbands
    Love Streams
    7.6
    Love Streams
    Minnie and Moskowitz
    7.2
    Minnie and Moskowitz
    Gloria
    7.1
    Gloria
    Mikey and Nicky
    7.3
    Mikey and Nicky
    Too Late Blues
    6.8
    Too Late Blues
    A Child Is Waiting
    7.2
    A Child Is Waiting
    Big Trouble
    5.2
    Big Trouble

    Related interests

    Marlon Brando and Salvatore Corsitto in The Godfather (1972)
    Gangster
    Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
    Psychological Drama
    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
    Psychological Thriller
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      David Bowie was often present on set during the filming and can be seen in shots of the crowd at Cosmo's Crazy Horse West.
    • Goofs
      Flo says "That jerk Karl Marx said opium is the religion of the people."

      While the actual Marx quote is "Religion is the opiate of the masses", this is likely to be an intentional misquote from the gangster, showing a lack of true education.
    • Quotes
      • Cosmo Vitelli: Now, teddy. Teddy. Everything takes work. We'll straighten it out. You know. You gotta work hard to be comfortable. Yeah, a lot of people kid themselves, you know. They-they know when they were born, they know where they're goin'... they know whether they're gonna go to heaven,whether they're gonna go to hell. They think they know that. They kid themselves. Right? But the only people... who are, you know, happy... are the people who are comfortable. That's right. Now, you take, uh, uh, carol, right? A dingbat, right? A ding-a-ling.A dingo. That's what people think she is,'cause that's the truth they want to believe. But, uh, you put her in another situation, right? Put her in a situation that's tough. Stress. Where she's up against something,you'll see she's no fool. Right. 'cause what's your truth... is my falsehood What's my falsehood is your truth and vice versa. Well, look. Look at me, right? I'm only happy when I'm angry... when I'm sad, when i can play the fool... when i can be what people want me to be rather than be myself.
    • Crazy credits
      Opening scene has Chinese characters scrolling up, similar to a movie from China or Hong Kong.
    • Alternate versions
      The original version runs 135 minutes. Two years after the release director John Cassavetes prepared a different theatrical cut with a running time of 108 minutes, both adding and removing scenes resulting in a different film.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: If We Owned a Movie Theater - Overlooked Films: The Conversation, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Real Life, The Green Wall, And Now My Love, Happy New Year (1980)
    • Soundtracks
      I Can't Give You Anything but Love
      (uncredited)
      Music by Jimmy McHugh
      Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
      Performed by Meade Roberts and others

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    • Release date
      • February 15, 1976 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Smrt kineskog kladionicara
    • Filming locations
      • Gazzarri's - 9039 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA(Crazy Horse West)
    • Production company
      • Faces Distribution
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Gross worldwide
      • $19,399
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 2h 15m(135 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    You have no recently viewed pages
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.