Chinese Coffee (2000) - Harry Levine

Harry Levine is an aging, failed writer from Greenwich Village who fired from his daily job as doorman. Desperately seeking for cash, he calls on his close friend Jake Manheim, an arts photographer, to collect a substantial amount of long-standing debt. But now the fellas has even less money on hand than him.

Harry then engage in an all-night discussion with Jake, solicits Jake's opinion on manuscript of his latest novel, hoping for an honest review. The novel is a semi-fiction based on their longtime friendship. Instead of honest review, jealousy make the washed-up photographer attacks Harry's manuscript in attempt to destroy his courage and motivation, and this attack lead to a confrontation. However, Harry Levine finally gains his courage.

Chinese Coffee initially released as part of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The independent film was originally a play by Ira Lewis (in which Pacino performed at Circle in the Square in New York in 1992), and made into a film directed by Al Pacino himself. Almost all of the film' scenes shot as a one-on-one conversation between the two main characters, Harry Levine (Al Pacino) and Jake Manheim (Jerry Orbach). Both the play and the film are set in New York City circa 1985.

Despite made on 2000, Chinese Coffee released for wider audiences than film festivals seven years later on 2007, as a part of Pacino: An Actor's Vision, a three-movie boxed set (along with The Local Stigmatic and Looking for Richard).



Cast:

Al Pacino ... Harry Levine
Jerry Orbach ... Jake Manheim
Susan Floyd ... Joanna
Ellen McElduff ... Mavis
Neal Jones ... Eteocles
Michel Moinot ... Maurice
Joel Eidelsberg ... Harry Levine's brother
Paul J.Q. Lee ... Counterman