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“Gloria” (1999)

Drama

Running Time: 108 minutes

Written by: Steve Antin

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

Featuring: Sharon Stone, Jeremy Northam, Cathy Moriarty, Jean-Luke Figueroa, Mike Starr and George C. Scott

Kevin: “Sean, if you were any dumber, I’d have to water you.”

There is something rather fascinating about Gloria, Sidney Lumet’s 1999 crime thriller starring Sharon Stone. It is a film that seems to be caught between two different cinematic personalities: the gritty, unpredictable character drama that Lumet was so accomplished at making, and a more conventional Hollywood crime picture that wants to entertain audiences with gangsters, gunfights, car chases and a sentimental story about an unlikely relationship. The result is an uneven but occasionally compelling film, one that is considerably more interesting when it concentrates on its central character than when it attempts to function as a straightforward gangster thriller.

At the centre of the picture is Sharon Stone, playing Gloria, a tough, streetwise woman who has just been released from prison after serving three years for her criminal boyfriend, Kevin (Jeremy Northam). Gloria has sacrificed a considerable part of her life for a man who has apparently promised to reward her loyalty. Unfortunately, when she returns to New York, she discovers that Kevin has little intention of keeping his word. Even worse, she finds herself caught up in a dangerous situation involving a young boy named Nicky (Jean-Luke Figueroa), whose family has been murdered by the gangsters surrounding Kevin.

Nicky possesses a computer disk containing information that could seriously damage the criminal organisation. Consequently, the boy has become a target, and Gloria finds herself making an impulsive decision to protect him. What begins as an act of self-preservation gradually develops into something resembling maternal responsibility. The unlikely pairing of a hardened criminal’s girlfriend and a frightened but remarkably independent young boy provides the emotional foundation for the entire film.

It is a familiar premise, but one that offers plenty of opportunities for an interesting character study.

The film belongs almost entirely to Sharon Stone, and she gives a performance that is considerably more interesting than the film surrounding her.

Stone was coming off a decade in which she had become closely associated with sexually charged, glamorous and sometimes dangerous screen characters. In Gloria, she attempts something rather different. Her character is not particularly sophisticated, elegant or mysterious. She is abrasive, impatient, foul-mouthed and frequently bad-tempered. She has spent enough time around criminals to understand how quickly a situation can turn violent, and she has developed a defensive personality that makes it difficult for her to trust anybody.

There is a certain sadness beneath Gloria’s tough exterior. She is a woman who has made some terrible decisions, particularly in her romantic life, and seems to have reached a point where she is beginning to recognise just how little she has received in return for her loyalty. Her relationship with Kevin is essentially finished before the film has properly begun. She has done her time for him, and now she wants what she believes she is owed.

Stone does a reasonable job of communicating Gloria’s mixture of anger, disappointment and vulnerability. She is particularly effective in the quieter moments, when the character’s defensive attitude briefly gives way to something more human.

However, the performance is occasionally too demonstrative. There are moments when Stone seems to be pushing Gloria’s toughness rather than allowing it to emerge naturally. Her accent and mannerisms can feel exaggerated, and some of the dialogue sounds more like an actor attempting to construct a colourful personality than a real person speaking.

Nevertheless, Stone gives the film much of its energy. Without her, Gloria would probably be a considerably less interesting experience.

Initially, Gloria has absolutely no desire to become responsible for a child. She is concerned about her own survival and has enough problems without having to look after a frightened seven-year-old. Nicky, meanwhile, is hardly the ideal travelling companion. He is suspicious, argumentative and occasionally irritating. He also possesses an unusual amount of streetwise confidence for somebody in such a vulnerable position.

Their relationship develops through a series of confrontations, disagreements and moments of unexpected tenderness. Gloria attempts to maintain emotional distance, while Nicky gradually becomes somebody she cannot simply abandon.

This is where the film’s underlying ideas become most apparent. Gloria has spent much of her adult life surrounded by people who regard loyalty as something to be exploited. Her relationship with Kevin is built around manipulation, selfishness and broken promises. Nicky, on the other hand, represents an entirely different kind of responsibility.

He needs her, but he also challenges her. Looking after him forces Gloria to think beyond her immediate circumstances and consider somebody else’s future.

The problem is that the emotional development is not always convincing. The film clearly wants us to believe that these two very different individuals are developing a profound attachment, but the screenplay sometimes pushes their relationship towards sentimentality without doing enough to establish it naturally.

There are moments when the chemistry works, particularly when Gloria’s tough exterior softens and she begins to display genuine affection for the boy. Unfortunately, other scenes feel rather calculated, as though the filmmakers are reminding us that beneath all the violence and profanity there is supposed to be a heartwarming story.

It is a potentially moving relationship that never quite achieves the emotional power it needs.

Sidney Lumet was one of American cinema’s most dependable directors, with an extraordinary body of work that included 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Prince of the City and The Verdict.

He was particularly accomplished at examining individuals trapped within corrupt institutions, complicated moral circumstances and hostile environments. His films frequently explored the relationship between personal responsibility and the systems of power surrounding ordinary people.

There are traces of those interests in Gloria.

The criminal organisation is presented as a world in which loyalty is temporary, money determines relationships and violence is an accepted means of solving problems. Gloria understands this environment because she has been part of it for years. She knows how criminals think, recognises their weaknesses and understands that survival often depends on anticipating betrayal.

Lumet’s experience is evident in the way he handles certain scenes involving the gangsters. He knows how to establish tension through conversations, physical positioning and the possibility of violence. He also understands that criminals can be more frightening when they are behaving casually than when they are openly threatening somebody.

Unfortunately, Gloria lacks the consistency and intensity of his strongest films.

The screenplay is too conventional, and the narrative frequently feels like a collection of familiar crime-thriller situations. The director seems caught between making a character-driven drama and delivering a more commercial action picture.

Neither approach is developed sufficiently.

The film is competent, professionally assembled and occasionally entertaining, but it rarely displays the distinctive energy that made Lumet such an important filmmaker.

Jeremy Northam plays Kevin, Gloria’s untrustworthy former boyfriend and the criminal mastermind responsible for much of the trouble. He is an interesting contrast to Stone, although the character is not particularly developed. Kevin is fundamentally a selfish and manipulative man who sees people as disposable commodities.

Northam gives him a suitably cold, controlled quality, but the screenplay does not provide much opportunity for complexity.

George C. Scott is another interesting presence as Ruby, the older crime boss. Scott brings a degree of authority and weary amusement to the role. He has the kind of screen presence that makes even relatively ordinary dialogue sound more substantial than it probably is.

His performance is one of the film’s pleasures, particularly because he seems entirely comfortable inhabiting the criminal environment.

Cathy Moriarty also makes an impression, while the supporting cast generally performs adequately within the limitations of the material.

The difficulty is that the film never gives these characters enough depth to make the criminal world particularly fascinating. They function primarily as obstacles for Gloria rather than fully developed individuals.

The original was a very different kind of film. It had a rougher, more unpredictable atmosphere and benefited enormously from Rowlands’ extraordinary performance. Cassavetes was interested in the emotional contradictions of his characters, and his approach gave the story a distinctive personality.

Lumet’s remake retains the basic premise but makes several changes to the atmosphere, characterisation and narrative structure.

The 1999 version feels more polished and conventional. Its New York criminal underworld is less threatening, and its emotional storyline is more explicitly developed. There is also a greater emphasis on explaining the relationships and motivations behind the plot.

Ironically, this makes the film less interesting.

The original’s appeal came partly from its unpredictability and the peculiar emotional energy Rowlands brought to the central character. Stone approaches Gloria from a different direction, creating a younger, more visibly glamorous and occasionally more theatrical interpretation.

It is not necessarily a bad performance, but it is difficult to escape comparisons with Rowlands.

Lumet’s version feels like a remake that has explained away some of the ambiguity that made the original interesting.

Visually, Gloria is a reasonably attractive production.

The New York setting provides an appropriate background for the story, although the film does not exploit the city as effectively as some of Lumet’s earlier urban dramas.

There are moments when the streets, apartments and public spaces create a convincing sense of danger and uncertainty. Gloria is constantly moving, looking over her shoulder and trying to anticipate the next threat. The urban environment becomes a place where she can disappear temporarily but never really escape.

David Watkin’s cinematography gives the film a polished late-1990s appearance. It is professionally photographed, although it lacks the roughness and documentary-like immediacy that might have suited the material.

Howard Shore’s musical contribution also helps maintain the atmosphere, although the score does not leave a particularly memorable impression.

The overall presentation is perfectly respectable, but there is little that distinguishes it visually from other crime thrillers of the period.

The biggest problem with Gloria is its screenplay.

The premise is strong enough to support an engaging thriller, and there are several opportunities for interesting character development. However, the dialogue frequently feels artificial, and the plot relies heavily on familiar gangster-movie conventions.

The film also struggles with pacing.

Some sequences are unnecessarily prolonged, while others move too quickly to establish the emotional significance of what is happening. The relationship between Gloria and Nicky requires patience and careful development, but the screenplay sometimes seems more interested in getting the characters from one dangerous situation to another.

There are also moments when the film becomes rather predictable. We understand quite early what Gloria’s emotional journey is supposed to involve, and the narrative rarely surprises us in ways that significantly alter our understanding of her character.

The action sequences provide some entertainment, but they are not especially memorable. The film has guns, chases, threats and confrontations, yet it rarely generates the sustained tension that a genuinely effective crime thriller requires.

Gloria is an interesting but ultimately disappointing entry in Sidney Lumet’s filmography.

It has a good central premise, a capable leading performance and the potential for a much more affecting examination of an emotionally damaged woman discovering an unexpected sense of responsibility. Sharon Stone is watchable throughout, and her interpretation of Gloria has enough personality to keep the film from becoming completely routine.

There is also something appealing about the idea of a woman who has spent years making the wrong choices finally finding something worth fighting for. Gloria is not transformed into an entirely different person. She remains difficult, impulsive and frequently unpleasant. What changes is her willingness to put somebody else’s interests ahead of her own.

That is the film’s strongest idea, and perhaps the one that deserved considerably more attention.

Unfortunately, the screenplay is too predictable, the supporting characters are underdeveloped and the relationship between Gloria and Nicky never becomes quite as convincing as the filmmakers intend. Lumet’s direction is professional but surprisingly uninspired, particularly when compared with the remarkable crime dramas he had made earlier in his career.

The film also has the unenviable task of following the original Cassavetes version, and that comparison does it few favours.

Still, I would not dismiss it entirely. There is enough here to make it worthwhile for admirers of Sharon Stone, Sidney Lumet and late-1990s crime cinema. It is an occasionally entertaining picture with flashes of genuine feeling, even if it never quite becomes the compelling character drama it might have been.

Ultimately, Gloria is a film about loyalty, betrayal, loneliness and the possibility of redemption. Its central character discovers that the person who gives her life a new direction is not the man she sacrificed three years of her freedom for, but a little boy she never intended to protect.

It is a decent idea, and Stone gives it a committed performance. The film itself, however, never quite rises to the level of its ambitions.