John Cassavetes’ filmography has been an integral part of the Karlovy Vary programme. This year, the festival has chosen the almost deconstructive gangster film The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. The 1976 production was introduced at the Karlovy Vary Theatre by Tomáš Hubáček.
“Years ago, Martin Scorsese and I were talking and in one night made up this gangster story about this nightclub owner who owes a lot of money and is talked into killing someone who isn’t really the person he thinks he’s going to be killing,” the moderator quoted Cassavetes.
According to Hubáček, however, this melancholic neo-noir crime film is in fact a multi-layered character study. “The protagonist has fulfilled his American dream by opening the Crazy Horse West strip club – and now he’ll do whatever it takes to defend that dream. Cassavetes subtly explores the limits of how far a person is willing to go to defend their position,” he explained. “With his typically biting commentary, he also examines the darker side of show business, where success is often achieved at the cost of numerous compromises and the erosion of one’s own moral standards.”
This film is anchored by a masterful performance from the lead actor, Ben Gazzara, a frequent collaborator of the director and, incidentally, a guest at the KVIFF in 2004. “His performance is firmly rooted in realism and allows the audience to connect with him on a deeply emotional level. As for his directing method, John Cassavetes always said that the dialogue was scripted, but the emotions were always improvised,” concluded the film historian in his introduction to this unhurried study exploring the emptiness of life.
