order of several scenes has been changed, there are different edits of a few scenes, and there are a few segments unique to the 108-minute version. The bulk of the cutting in the 1978 version removed many of the nightclub routines that were in the 1976 version. Reception The Killing of a Chinese Bookie received mixed reviews upon its initial release, but has developed a cult following since. Jay Cocks of Time gave the film a positive review, explaining, "When John Cassavetes makes a gangster movie, you can be sure only that it will be like no other. A film maker of vaunting, demanding individuality, Cassavetes is like a jazz soloist, an improviser who tears off on wild riffs from a basic, familiar melody." Vincent Canby of The New York Times thought differently, saying, "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is like the last three of the director's films (A Woman Under the Influence, Husbands and Minnie and Moskowitz) in the way it resolutely refuses to come to a point strong or interesting enough to support the loving care that's gone into its production, particularly on the part of the actors." Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 79% of 28 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.45 out of 10. Unproduced remake During the late 1990s director Brett Ratner acquired the rights to film a remake of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and recruited John Cassavetes's son Nick to write the screenplay. However, the remake was never filmed. References Further reading Carney, Raymond Francis, Junior, American Dreaming: The Films of John Cassavetes and the American Experience, University of California Press, 1985. External links The Killing of a Chinese Bookie: The Raw and the Cooked an essay by Phillip Lopate at the Criterion Collection A Real Director's Cut, Jason Mark Scott's Bright Lights Film Journal Essay. 1976 films 1970s crime drama films 1976 independent films American crime drama films 1970s English-language films Films directed by John Cassavetes Films set in Los Angeles American independent films American neo-noir films 1976 drama films Films about striptease Triad films 1970s American films 1970s Hong Kong films