Every John Cassavetes Movie, Ranked
John Cassavetes was one of the most widely celebrated independent filmmakers in the history of American film, directing a total of 12 feature films between the years 1959 and 1986. He sadly passed away at only 59 in 1989, but his work has proven tremendously influential in the years since. Cassavetes' acting remains celebrated, sometimes starring in his own films and acting in movies by other directors, including Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen.
He rarely made movies that could be described as having mainstream appeal. However, Cassavetes' singular voice and willingness to make personal and introspective movies on his terms have made him the highly regarded filmmaker he is today. With a steady group of actors he often collaborated with, including his wife of 35 years, Gena Rowlands, his body of work is consistent and worth exploring for serious film fans. And while there's something worthwhile in each of his movies, some are undoubtedly better than others.
12 'Big Trouble' (1986)
Cast: Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, Beverly D'Angelo
Not to be mixed up with a very different movie from 1986 with the words "Big Trouble" in the title, Big Troublewas John Cassavetes's final film, and debatably his least remarkable. It's also not particularly identifiable as a John Cassavetes film - he acted as a replacement director and apparently clashed with the film's producers.
Narratively, it follows two people who will go to great lengths to get rid of their financial problems, with a complex (and eventually disastrous) plan that aims to get them both out of their difficult situations. It might be worth watching for Cassavetes fans, especially because it features one of his regular collaborators, Peter Falk, but it's otherwise quite disposable.
11 'A Child Is Waiting' (1963)
Cast: Judy Garland, Burt Lancaster, Gena Rowlands
Judy Garland was best known for appearing in musicals like The Wizard of Oz and 1954's A Star Is Born, but she also thrived in dramatic roles. Take A Child Is Waiting, for example, a fairly straightforward drama set in a state institution for intellectually disabled children. Garland plays a new teacher at the school who clashes with its director, who's played by another well-known actor from Hollywood's Golden Age, Burt Lancaster.
It's far from bad - Big Trouble is the only Cassavetes movie that arguably is. However, A Child is Waiting lacks the spark that makes his other films feel distinct and uniquely compelling. It plays as a very formulaic drama without a hint of the insightfulness that comes with Cassavetes' best movies. Garland and Lancaster are good, but the material is not challenging or interesting enough to let them shine.
10 'Too Late Blues' (1961)
Cast: Bobby Darin, Stella Stevens, Everett Chambers
The second feature film directed by John Cassavetes, Too Late Blues sits in a somewhat awkward position within his filmography, as it isn't talked about as often as many of his other works. The plot chronicles a jazz pianist's relationships with his band members and his new love interest. It was a studio film produced by Paramount Pictures, meaning Cassavetes's voice doesn't entirely shine through the way it does for the films where he has full creative control.
It was apparently a difficult film to make, but the result really isn't bad, following the unique bond that forms between a jazz band leader and a singer and doing so in a reasonably compelling way. As a Cassavetes film, Too Late Blues may be lacking, but for an early 1960s drama, it's pretty decent.
9 'Shadows' (1959)
Cast: Lelia Goldoni, Hugh Hurd, Ben Carruthers
CloseJohn Cassavetes's debut feature film, Shadows, marked a promising start for the then-young director. Though his best work was yet to come, Shadows still felt fresh and lively for a film released during the 1950s, with a plot that revolved around interracial romance - quite a daring story for the time.
The behind-the-scenes story might be even more fascinating than the movie itself, given it was made once as an improvised feature and got reworked and re-released after the original version wasn't well-received. The version seen most often is the reworked one, but it remains loose and very in-the-moment, a distinctive approach that would be recaptured repeatedly throughout later Cassavetes films.
8 'Minnie and Moskowitz' (1971)
Cast: Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel, Val Avery
With Minnie and Moskowitz, John Cassavetes made what can kind of be described as a romantic comedy in his distinct style. It's a brash and sometimes frustrating film, but likely intentionally so, following a middle-aged woman who meets an eccentric man who works as a parking lot attendant.
They very, very slowly sort of fall for each other, but there are a ton of strange and sometimes uncomfortable things that happen in the process. It's not a good movie to start with for those new to Cassavetes, but much of what works in his other films is also on offer here. Minnie and Moskowitz has a certain novelty factor to it, seeing Cassavetes making something that can almost be described as an offbeat rom-com.
7 'Husbands' (1970)
Cast: Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, John Cassavetes
Unsurprisingly, given the title, Husbands centers on three men who are all married with children. The trio comes together after learning of one friend's untimely passing. Husbands explores the idea of living through a midlife crisis, with the men's attempts to recapture a semblance of their glory days proving difficult.
It has some comedy but pairs it with drama and introspection that's brutally honest at times. Thus, Husbands might not be a fun watch, but it could be relatable, depending on your stage in life. John Cassavetes himself plays one of the titular husbands, with the others played by two actors who often show up in Cassavetes's films: Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk.
6 'Faces' (1968)
Cast: John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Lynn Carlin
Like Shadows, Faces is a John Cassavetes movie shot in black and white while having a one-word title and a fairly unusual style to it, which can make it a similarly challenging watch. It benefits from getting made about 10 years into the filmmaker's directorial career; being his fourth film overall, it feels more confident and comprehensive.
It follows two people who go their separate ways after a divorce, though in time, each begins to question whether choosing to separate was really the best idea. With its focus on older characters and the recurring Cassavetes theme of midlife crises, Faces was bold and potentially even experimental for its time, which makes it remain admirable to this day.
5 'The Killing of a Chinese Bookie' (1976)
Cast: Ben Gazzara, Timothy Carey, Seymour Cassel
CloseShaking things up a little in 1976, John Cassavetes tried his hand at making a crime/thriller movie with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and was largely successful. It's certainly gritty and tense throughout, following a gambling-addicted proprietor of a cabaret who finds himself with a debt he can't pay back.
It's one of those crime movies that follows one person getting themselves into a terrible situation and just digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole with every passing scene. In that way, it's easy to see The Killing of a Chinese Bookie as something that might've influenced certain Coen Brothers crime movies, or perhaps more accurately, the excellent Safdie Brothers film from 2019, Uncut Gems. In any case, it remains a striking and pioneering effort by Cassavetes and one of his most underrated efforts.
4 'Love Streams' (1984)
Cast: Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Diahnne Abbot
In all honesty, Love Streams might be John Cassavetes's most difficult and uncompromising film. Despite, or perhaps because of it, it's also one of his most well-known. Given how Big Trouble didn't even feel like a Cassavetes movie, it's easy to see this 1984 film, his penultimate one, as his "true" final statement as a director.
Running for close to 2.5 hours, the film follows two deeply troubled siblings, played by Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands, who reunite after spending numerous years apart. Love Streams is a messy, raw, and undeniably personal film. Even if it's not particularly enjoyable, viewers must appreciate what it's going for and how unapologetic it is when it comes to doing its own difficult thing.
3 'Gloria' (1980)
Cast: Gena Rowlands, Julie Carmen, Buck Henry
CloseFor those who enjoyed The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and want to see another Cassavetes take on the crime genre, Gloria is a must-watch. It's quite easily the most accessible movie the filmmaker ever made, with a fast-paced and thrilling story about a woman named Gloria (Gena Rowlands, of course) going on the run from the mob with a young and recently orphaned boy in tow.
Gloria is more narrative-focused and broadly appealing than the filmmaker's more challenging works, and maybe some Cassavetes fans will look down on it. Still, most people won't mind because the film's just too entertaining and surprisingly emotional, too. Rowlands also gives what might well be a career-best performance in the titular role, more than earning her Oscar nomination that year.
2 'Opening Night' (1977)
Cast: Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell
CloseMaybe there's some kind of correlation when it comes to how good a John Cassavetes movie is and how front-and-center Gena Rowlands is within it because she also featured prominently in Opening Night. She plays an actress going on an intense personal journey in the days before her new play has its titular opening night, with her once again carrying large parts of the movie.
But the rest of Opening Night is also very good and uncompromising in all the right ways, managing to feel loose, in the moment, and always effectively dramatic. By this point in Cassavetes's career, he was very much a master of his craft, making Opening Night a long, sometimes slow, but continually rewarding film that earns its place among his finest efforts.
1 'A Woman Under the Influence' (1974)
Cast: Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper
CloseReleased several years before Gloria, this was the other John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands collaboration that got the latter an Academy Award nomination. The Cassavetes movie by excellence, A Woman Under the Influence demonstrates the director at his most distinct (and arguably his peak) for a runtime that goes for a little over 2.5 hours.
It's a brutal, sad, uncomfortable, and extremely hard-hitting dramatic movie centering on a troubled wife/mother named Mabel Longhetti. A Woman Under the Influence tracks her psychological breakdown before beginning the arduous recovery process. It feels incredibly raw and difficult to watch, but A Woman Under the Influence undeniably achieves what it sets out to do, as its confidence and devastating sense of realism make it a defining movie of the 1970s.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kt7C0zWaamqujlsOmwMSsZKanpp6ytHnRmqWknZRk