Saint Jack (1979)

Ben Gazzara possessed an old-school tough guy coolness that would make Bogey proud. In Saint Jack, Gazzara portrays “Jack Flowers,” an American pimp plying his trade in Singapore, while trying to avoid trouble with the local syndicate. The film was directed by Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) and based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Paul Theroux. The cast includes Bogdanovich and Denholm Elliott, as well as George Lazenby, who played “James Bond” in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), in a small role. Saint Jack would make a great double feature with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, which was directed by John Cassavetes and starred Gazzara as enigmatic strip club owner “Cosmo Vittelli.”

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