The dialogue is by far the best bit in this, but it also has a very gritty feel to it, which sets the mood perfectly.

Mærkelig og dragende. Jeg blev bestemt draget af den, den rå kameraføring, den upretentiøse dialog og en handling med huller og troværdighedespræblemer - men bestemt noget ganske særligt...

Definitely a minor work from a great filmmaker. It's watchable but poorly paced and rather unmemorable.

Cosmo is one of those people who at one point in life probably dreamed of owning his own theater cabaret or joining an acting troupe. Instead life's circumstances and his broken background dragged him into a world of vice. There's his surrogate family made up of equally broken strippers and sideshow performers. A seedy nightclub owner shouldn't be sympathetic but Cassavetes has a talent for humanizing people under any circumstance.

A punchy effort from Cassavetes. There are two different cuts of this film in general release. The version I saw was the original that came out to mass indifference and was reportedly dubbed overlong by no less than lead actor Ben Gazzara. He was right. Whatever urgency Cassavetes gets out of his direct, gritty style, he bobbles away with a gruelingly languid pace. Gazzara is strong, but has little to play against and is stuck in scenes that extend well past the point that they've petered out.

The score's fantastic, but doesn't come in that often. I like the gritty aesthetic, but to be honest the realism is so realistic that it's not interesting to watch. There's some pointlessly long scenes at the strip club. Also a man sings "Imaginaaaaation" at one point, so this is obviously Parker and Stone's favourite film.

('78 cut) Cassavetes meets genre conventions halfway, inserting elements typical of gangster pictures while filming with his own distinct style and perspective. It is a little less relentless than his other movies, a little more relaxed in the ebb and flow of its pacing. Once again Cassavetes makes excellent use of really intense close-ups.

'78 cut.

#344

Wonderful post noir that is still at its core a Cassavetes film. Nothing can beat this character-based drama. Special shout out to the The-Third-Man-style chase in the parking lot.

I saw the 1976 cut, and found it, true to its reputation, overlong. I'd be interested in seeing the svelter 1978 cut too as I think there is a great, gritty, atmospheric gangster film in there somewhere amidst the clutter.

I love the style of this film (especially the colours and dangerous close-ups) and Ben Gazzara is pretty excellent as the reluctant everyman lead, but there's just something about this film that just doesn't allow me to get engaged in it. Maybe because it's so damn boring and unimportant.

I see what it was going for, but it seemed like the story had a higher potential than the one that was translated to the screen. Gazzara is good, but most of the other cast is forgettable. Visually I rather liked the mix of colors that Cassavetes uses.

Wish I'd seen the shorter version. Maybe I'll watch it sometime down the road. Hopefully most of the stuff that's been trimmed is from the interminable burlesque shows. Other than that it's a good film.

pretty solid, deserves a rewatch. only cassavettes ive seen

Engrossing. Cassavetes depict a world so gloomy and sad that it's almost unbearable to observe the protagonist's distressing struggle to stay alive in the ruthless and dismal climate he live in... It's trustworthy and compelling. Ben Gazzara convey his character's bitterness and weariness convincingly and with utter excellence, establishing an odd intensity constantly sensible under the wrinkled surface. A throughoutly dark film with a healthy dose of sensitivity.

# 381

There are supposedly two cuts of this film, I want to believe I stumbled into the horribly ugly, agressively boring one. Did I miss something or was that just bad? All I know about this film after watching it is that it's a slow neo-noir at the budget of a porn flick.

Not bad. Good as a genre picture, and also good as a unique twist on the genre. But the seemingly endless scenes of the (deliberately) pathetic burlesque show really grind things to a halt.

('78 cut) A great against-type crime genre picture/neo-noir. This has the same characterizations and humanity that characterize Cassavetes' other pictures, but this one felt more stylized and traditional, and in a good way - the soundtrack and direction really helped the film along. Ben Gazzara is excellent as the club owner: solemn, dignified, tough, emotional, all at once.

The entire film is gritty, I felt filthy after watching it. The cast is unlikable, the camera work gets sloppy, everything in the film feels raunchy and cheap. It's a perfect portrait of the era.