After serving a prison term for her boyfriend, a streetwise, middle-aged moll named Gloria stands up against the mobs, which is complicated by a six-year-old urchin with a will of his own, whom she reluctantly takes under her wing after his family has been gunned down.
Acting
Stone's ferocious, unglamorous turn—lightyears from Basic Instinct.
Direction
Lumet's 70s grit meets 90s pulp in his final crime thriller.
Practical Effects
NYC location shooting that reeks of authentic borough energy.
Director
Sidney Lumet
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is a remake of John Cassavetes' 1980 film starring Gena Rowlands, though Lumet claimed he never saw the original.
Lumet called this his 'most violent film' and intentionally cast against type, believing Stone's glamour would crack open to reveal something raw.
US
