Famous character actor John Cassavetes was known for appearing in big Hollywood blockbusters (usually playing villains) only in order to finance his parallel career of director of low budget independent art films. The most commercial and arguably the most successful of the films he directed is 1980 crime drama Gloria.
The main protagonist, played by Cassavetes’ wife Gena Rowlands, is Gloria Swenson, middle-aged New York woman who used to hang out with gangsters and even managed to become a mistress of a powerful Mafia leader. At the beginning of the film she lives in dilapidated apartment building in Bronx where she befriended her neighbour, young Puerto Rican woman Jeri Dawn (played by Julie Carmen). Jeri’s husband Jack (played by Buck Henry) is an accountant who used to work for the Mob before deciding to become informer for federal authorities. This brings team of Mob assassins that would brutally murder him and his family. The only person to survive the massacre is Phil (played by John Adames), 6-year old boy who was hidden at Gloria’s apartment. Although she doesn’t like children, Gloria now feels obligated to take care of the boy who has lost his entire family. At first, using her old Mafia contacts, she tries to negotiate for boy’s life in exchange for his father’s ledger containing incriminating evidence. When this fails, Gloria uses her street smarts, steely determination and even gun skills to deal with Mafia assassins and bring a boy to safety.
Gloria is one of those films that rests solely on a shoulder of a single actor. In this case it is Gena Rowlands playing what could be easily described as one of the best roles of her career. Her character is at the same time self-doubting and determined, pathetic and formidable, weak and strong, cynical and maternal. The ease and confidence with which Rowlands displays those contradicting traits and emotions leave a long lasting impression and Gloria Swenson as surrogate mother having to fight and kill for her child is among those rare characters that exhibit feminist tropes of Hollywood in a realistic and convincing way. Her acting talent, sadly, isn’t matched by young Adames, who is more annoying than adorable (and later even had “honour” of being nominated for Razzie). Cinematography by Fred Schuler is, on the other hand, very effective using various New York locations to add suspense and portray violent decaying metropolis as a place of danger, ruled by omnipresent and all-powerful Mob. Musical score by Bill Conti, which is supposed to elevate the film while making it more conventional, is mostly annoying and only adds to unnecessary melodrama. That score often at odds with Cassavetes’ low key directing style which insists on realism, and even features real life mafiosi in small roles. Cassavetes’ direction, perhaps due to his desire to have as much of her wife on screen as possible, also slows down pace to levels that probably unbearable to modern audience. Those patient enough would, on the other hand, enjoy great acting performance and it isn’t surprising that Gloria despite its flaws had two remakes – official, in form of vastly inferior Sidney Lumet’s 1999 film, and unofficial, in form of much more successful Leon the Professional.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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