The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Rookie

Last night, I watched The Killing of a Chinese bookie for the first time in all of my 26 years. This may come as a surprise to the tens of people whom I have lied to in the past; saying things like “Oh Yes, that is a great one.” And “Uh huh, Ben Gazzara is the King.” It was all very complicated, you see, because while I was lying through my teeth, I really did believe these fabrications, in a way. I DO love Ben Gazzara. And I HAVE always thought that if I were to finally watch The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, it would most likely become my favorite Cassavetes movie.

So, why did I lie to these interested parties? It could be that I never want to be lectured on the merits of a movie, the merits of which I am already, privately, convinced. It could, also, be that I am a crazy loser who's shouldering a massive inferiority complex. But, why didn’t I just watch the movie already since it was supposed to be so unbelievably wonderful? I DON’T KNOW. Sometimes, you just need to have your secrets. Last night, I decided to let this one go…publicly!

A little about last night…I would never had watched The Killing of a Chinese Bookie had I not already exhausted my roommate’s dvd collection. There I was, home alone and in desperate need of some company. So, I asked myself, “Should I call a friend or watch a movie?” And the obvious answer, the obviousness of which basically negates the need to ever ask the question, was…watch a movie. But, as I mentioned earlier, I had already watched most of my roommate’s dvds. They were, at the time, strewn about my room and double stuffed into the wrong cases (just kidding, Larry!) So, there was The Killing of a Chinese Bookie sitting on the end of a shelf, ripe for the viewing, practically spitting in my face and daring me to watch it. And still, I resisted. Why? Maybe there’s something a little boring about knowing you’re going to like a movie before you even hit play. Or it could be that I have no interest in ever having a genuine conversation with somebody about how great John Cassavetes is, even though I really, wholeheartedly, believe it. At any rate, whatever the reasons, I, clearly, had a lot of issues with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie!

Well, I watched it. And I loved it. Ben Gazzara is the King! What a great actor. One time I read a lot of his autobiography (now that’s full disclosure because, usually, I tell people that I read the whole thing) and he has a chapter called “other gigs.” I really love that guy. The movie is amazing; so strange and beautiful. The way it looks is really perfect to me, the colors. Anyway. That’s all I’ll write about the actual movie because I’ll bet you’ve all had much more engaging conversations on this very subject with a living, breathing person in stead of a computer screen, but, listen: do not trust these people! They are probably lying to you!

(this photo was found doing a google image search for "Ben Gazarra King")