What’s better than a 1970s, grimy, sun-baked, L.A.-based neo-noir about a well-intentioned stripclub owner (played with all of the nervous swagger of a Ben Gazzara in his prime) with a gambling problem who gets in too deep with the mob?  Two for the price of one, that’s what.  This week we’re talking about both the theatrical release and unexpectedly shorter director’s cut of John Cassavetes’ under-appreciated classic.

If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Lino Brocka’s Manila in the Claws of Light (1975).