Cast
Cosmo Vitelli : Ben Gazzara
Flo (gangster) : Timothy Carey
Mort Weil (gangster) : Seymour Cassel
Phil (gangster) : Robert Phillips
John (head gangster) : Morgan Woodward
Eddie-Red (as John Red Kullers) : John Kullers
Marty Reitz (gangster) : Al Ruban
Rachel : Azizi Johari
Betty, the mother : Virginia Carrington
Mr Sophistication : Meade Roberts
Sherry : Alice Fredlund
Margo Donnar (as Donna Marie Gordon) : Donna Gordon
Haji : Haji
Carol : Carol Warren
Derna : Derna Wong Davis


A highly original masterpiece by John Cassavetes, a pioneer of independent US cinema, from 1976.

Filmed in an edgy, dramatic style using hand-held cameras, and concentrating on emotional truth rather than plot-based storytelling, it tells the story of a Korean war veteran pressed into a contract killing to pay off his gambling debts.

The brainsonfilm.com website offers this incisive review: "With the very odd pacing, lack of any music bed and the handheld verite' style, Bookie takes a while to get in your blood. Virtually unreleased upon its completion, this one is an overlooked diamond, albeit a very rough one whose beauty is found easiest with a few stiff drinks. Setting up the plot really just scratches the surface when you consider this is the most "out-there" film that the "out-there" Cassavetes ever made. He was nominated for Oscars, he financed his films with money he made acting in some stellar roles in The Dirty Dozen and Rosemary's Baby, Cassavetes' offbeat, semi-low budget fare such as Faces earned him the reputation for delivering thought provoking, sensitive stories that were not the norm for typical "Hollywood" tripe."