Film Review: Gloria
by Shelly Schoeneshoefer

John Cassavetes, USA 1980

This award-winning crime thriller exemplifies Cassavetes’s vision. Gloria (Gena Rowlands), a former gangster’s girlfriend, promises to keep six-year-old Phil Dawn (John Adames) and an accounting book safe just before the mob kills off his entire family. This crime thriller is raw, emotional, and catches beautifully the sheer terror that this strong protagonist is dealing with after she realizes how ensnared she and the boy are in this caged city. The mob is everywhere and closing in on them. She tries over and over again to find a way out but it seems hopeless. The cinematography is brilliant. Cassavetes captures the ominous character of New York City in the 1970s. The cars, the people, the disparity, and the greed are all captured in the background. Gloria rises up again and again showing no fear like some kind of Marvel heroine. The film explores this character who really doesn’t need to be involved. Her life is set but somehow, despite the fact she is single with no children, Gloria decides to try and save this six-year-old boy. It truly is a wonderful film, which won numerous awards. I was also surprised to read that Cassavetes had written the script for a different director but ended up taking it on himself, thes style he created.