Husbands
By Kit Macdonald
Uncomfortable and disorienting even for him, John Cassavettes' 1970 film Husbands is a journey into turmoil for its three main characters: Gus (Cassavetes), Harry (Ben Gazzara) and Archie (Peter Falk). The three are thrown into this state by the sudden death of a close companion, and they respond by embarking on a chaotic drinking and gambling binge, wandering through the streets of New York and then London as they go.
Raw and unflinching in classic Cassavettes style, Husbands goes full-bore in its examination of masculinity, grief and a particularly acute case of midlife crisis among its three protagonists. Long improvised scenes in which the men try vainly to express their volatile emotions bring home the film's various uncomfortable messages with visceral aplomb.