Ms .45 (1981)

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

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer:

Nicholas St. John (screenplay) (as N.G. St. John)

Stars:

Zoë Lund, Bogey, Albert Sinkys

1 nomination.

Cast

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

Storyline

In Manhattan, Thana is a timid and mute woman that works as a seamstress in the fashion industry and spends most of her idle time at home. One night, she gets raped in an alley while going back home after hours and when she arrives at home, she gets raped again by another criminal. However, she reacts and bludgeons the assaulter to his death with a flatiron. The disturbed Thana loses her sanity and uses a .45 caliber pistol to shoot men on the streets of New York. She dresses suggestively and roams the dark streets alone, wreaking vengeance upon anyone who tries to take advantage of her. Eventually, her secret life overflows into her regular life in the fashion industry.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | vigilante | rape victim | rape | murder | 

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Taglines:

She's number one... with a bullet. Know her name.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debuts of Zoë Lund and Kathleen Gati.

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Goofs

When Thana pulls dead burglar into bathroom and rests him stomach first over bathtub and steps away, actor can be seen breathing with his back slightly moving up and down.

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Quotes

Bag Lady: Don't know why they want to persecute me because I don't talk to women. All women do is laugh, and sing, and say the word 'Pussy'. Y'ask any doctor, and he'll tell you that.

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Alternate Versions

The British video release, on Warner's Maverick Director's label, was cut by 1m 42s by the BBFC. Early copies of this version, released in 1997, were accidentally mastered with the uncut version. These were quickly recalled and replaced with the BBFC approved version, but some uncut copies were sold - they can be identified by the code on the spine of the tape (082897). The cuts were made to the rape scenes and to a shot of Thana severing a dead man's arm with a bread knife. The use of a set of nunchakus was also removed.

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Connections

Referenced in The Greasy Strangler (2016)

User Reviews

The Cinema of Abel Ferrara

Ms. 45 (1981) was an interesting view on the revenge flicks that were popular during the mid 70's to the early 80's. Abel Ferrara and his co-conspirator Nicholas St. John follow the life of a mute dress worker (Zoe Lund) who snaps one day after being raped twice. She kills her last attacker and keeps his gun. After seeing the grim world around her and the loss of her mental faculties, she decides to do a hunting.

A strange but highly enjoyable film that takes exploitation films to a whole new level. The gritty direction by Abel Ferrara and the smart writing from Nicholas St. John elevate this movie above most of the trash that was produced during this time period. The star, Zoe Lund posses some unearthly beauty and she has that certain stuff to make the material work. Not many other actresses could have pulled this off but she some how manages to.

If you can find an uncut version of this movie I advise you to go out and get it. This is one of the best vigilante movies you'll ever watch. I have to highly recommend this film. It's Abel Ferrara doing what he does best. Street level film making!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ms .45

Filming Locations:

40 Pell Street, corner of Mott Street and Pell Street, 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:

1.85 : 1