Gloria (John Cassavetes, 1980)

When her neighbours are murdered by the mob, veteran gunmole Gloria (Gena Rowland) finds herself the reluctant custodian of their young son (John Adames).

I have never seen a John Cassavetes movie. I am aware of his work, but I always put it off. 

Gloria always sounded the most appealing due to the genre hook. I was hoping this could serve as a bridge into the rest of the auteur’s work.

And I think it worked.

While the genre element is compelling, Gloria has so much to recommend it.

For one, it is a great New York movie. Shot on the streets and subways, the film gains a unique vitality and dynamism.

Rowlands is pure dynamite. Brusque, tough, clumsily trying to build a rapport with an innocent.

Abrasive and unaffected, child performer John Adames works as another layer of verisimilitude to the movie. Rowlands and Adames have a rapport that feels completely in the moment, leaning into the clash of age, experience and the sheer suddenness of their forced bond. 

There are moments which feel found. Rather than presenting her charge as a pure object to be protect, the film just treats Phil as a kid - burdened with the sudden loss of his family, and stuck beside a stranger. He does not fall in line with Gloria - he actively rebels, and tries to run away.

The movie never stops moving - it is so good at building suspense, and most of that tension comes from the uneasy relationship between the veteran gun mole and her unwilling companion.

While the film is trying to avoid resembling a traditional thriller, Gloria's scrappy, hand-held, character-based narrative has a purity and sense of focus that most thrillers can only dream of - while it is built on characterisation, Gloria is also movie about character - how does life experience, how do events and new relationships affect it? What is revealed about a person when the chips are down? What are you willing to sacrifice? What are you willing to fight for?

This tension is not just the basis of thrillers but all drama. And that is why, despite its lack of gloss and set-pieces, Gloria is a great thriller.

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