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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

Directed by John Cassavetes · Cinematography by Al Ruban, Mitch Breit

R135 min58 frames

ThrillerCrimeDrama

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Stills, screencaps & shots from The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

16 of 58 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: wide — A well-lit room features shelves filled with decorative plates and a glass-topped table.…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: medium — A dark, dimly lit lounge area is dominated by intense red lighting. A man in a suit…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: medium — A compact interior booth featuring a wall mural of a female figure and photos. Two men…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: medium — A dark, dimly lit venue with stacked chairs visible in the blurred background. An older…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: wide — A dark, dimly lit bar with red leather booths and a small round table. A man in a white…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: fullbody — A dark, dimly lit room features a single pool of light on the wall. A man stands in…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: closeup — A woman stands in a dim room with light filtering from a side window. She speaks while…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: medium — A utilitarian stairwell interior features a metal door and a wall-mounted fire…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: closeup — A dark indoor setting features a man standing in a patch of concentrated light. The…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: wide — A dark, paved residential driveway illuminated by harsh streetlights at night. A…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: wide — A dark city sidewalk at night in front of a brightly lit adult venue. Two men in suits…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: medium — A stark room with bare white masonry walls and a concrete floor. A man steps cautiously…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: medium — The interior of a limousine featuring dark leather upholstery and wood grain accents. A…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: fullbody — A night city sidewalk features a yellow taxi parked next to a colorful building wall.…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: medium — A dressing room features a vanity with a tarnished, patterned mirror. A woman gazes…The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) movie still: medium — A dimly lit industrial stairwell glows with intense blue and red light sources. A man…
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) — © Faces International Films

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie — official trailer

What is The Killing of a Chinese Bookie about?

Cosmo Vittelli, the proprietor of a sleazy, low-rent Hollywood cabaret, has a real affection for the women who strip in his peepshows and the staff who keep up his dingy establishment. He also has a major gambling problem that has gotten him in trouble before. When Cosmo loses big-time at an underground casino run by mobster Mort, he isn't able to pay up. Mort then offers Cosmo the chance to pay back his debt by knocking off a pesky, Mafia-protected bookie.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a 1976 American crime film, written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara. A rough and gritty film, this is the second of their three collaborations, following Husbands and preceding Opening Night. Timothy Carey, Seymour Cassel, Morgan Woodward, Meade Roberts, and Azizi Johari appear in supporting roles.

Second paragraph from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where can you watch The Killing of a Chinese Bookie?

US availability for The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.

Who stars in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie?

Who made The Killing of a Chinese Bookie?

What does the cinematography of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie look like?

Across 58 sampled frames, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie builds its coverage from medium shots (38% of the sample), with close-ups (28%) carrying much of the rest. Cinematographer Al Ruban keeps 66% of it in soft, low-key light. 78% of the frames play at night or in the failing light of dusk. Vintage glass shapes the frame. Focus stays shallow in 64% of the frames, isolating subjects from their surroundings. The production design places the film in the 1970s.

What is the color palette of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie?

The dominant colors across the sampled frames of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) are #0f0a0a, #332e2d, #2c0d0f, #f4f5f4, #d5d2ca, #90908d — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.

  • #0f0a0a
  • #332e2d
  • #2c0d0f
  • #f4f5f4
  • #d5d2ca
  • #90908d

See the full The Killing of a Chinese Bookie colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.

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Techniques in this film

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