Ms. 45 (1981)

A shy and mute seamstress goes insane after being attacked and raped twice in one day, in which she takes to the streets of New York after dark and randomly kills men with a .45 caliber gun.

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer:

Nicholas St. John (screenplay)

Stars:

Zoë Lund, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zoë Lund	...	Thana (as Zoë Tamerlis)
Albert Sinkys	...	Albert
Darlene Stuto	...	Laurie
Helen McGara	...	Carol
Nike Zachmanoglou	...	Pamela
Abel Ferrara	...	1st Rapist (as Jimmy Laine)
Peter Yellen	...	The Burglar (2nd Rapist)
Editta Sherman	...	Mrs. Nasone (Landlady)
Vincent Gruppi	...	Heckler on Corner
S. Edward Singer	...	The Photographer
Stanley Timms	...	The Pimp
Faith Peters	...	The Prostitute
Lawrence Zavaglia	...	The Arab
Alex Jachno	...	The Chauffeur
Jack Thibeau	...	Man in Bar

Storyline

A timid and mute woman gets raped twice coming home from work and decides to take matters into her own hands. She dresses suggestively and roams the streets alone, wreaking vengeance upon anyone who tries to take advantage of her. Eventually, her secret life spills over into her regular life in the fashion industry.

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Plot Keywords:

mute | new york | pistol | vengeance | gun | 

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Taglines:

She was abused and violated. It will never happen again!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Angel of Vengeance

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$62,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Navaron Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of Zoë Lund's character, Thana, is reminiscent of the Greek god of death, "Thanatos". Sigmund Freud used the word to refer to the "death drive," a subject's internal drive to return to an inorganic state.

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Goofs

One band member is playing the trumpet, but what you hear is obviously a saxophone. There is no trumpet sound in the song the band is playing.

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Connections

Referenced in Machete (2010)

User Reviews

Vengeance is mine!

‘Ms. 45' is probably Abel Ferrara's masterpiece despite it's many flaws. It has originality, a great music score and it leaves an indelible impression for better or worse. When we first meet Thona (Zoe Tamerlis) we wonder why she is so quiet and it is only when one of her tormentors asks her why she doesn't speak that we realise it is because she *can't* speak. This is a shocking revelation and even more shocking is the fact that this demure looking girl becomes a cold blooded murderer. The photography captures late 70's New York to perfection, at all times of day and night. The pacing and editing are excellent leaving no time for any dull moments. The acting is perfect with the exception of the Landlady (Editta Sherman) who, despite being eccentric and amusing, is no actress. The climax is set at a fancy dress party and the ensuing mayhem when Zoe goes berserk is choreographed and filmed to great (almost hypnotic) effect.