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
S. Edward Singer	...	Photographer
Stanley Timms	...	Pimp
Faith Peters	...	Prostitute
Lawrence Zavaglia	...	Arab
Alex Jachno	...	Chauffeur

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 | misandry | shooting | nun with a gun | 

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Taglines:

Crime will no longer roam the streets.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Angel of Vengeance

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene in which Thana flees with her neighbor's dog, a red truck is seen circulating in the street, on whose front the name Ferrara is written.

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Goofs

When the man Thana meets in the bar holds her gun, he cocks it, but when he lifts it to his head, the hammer is no longer pulled back.

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Quotes

Albert: Hello, Bobby.
Party Host: And Sister?
Albert: Thana.
Party Host: That's a charming name. Is that Greek?
Albert: It's Greek to you, Bobby.

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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

Featured in 42nd Street Forever: Blu-ray Edition (2012)

User Reviews

Disturbing Rape Study

Well produced, directed, written, acted, study of rape. Displays her progression from horror to revenge to delusional homicide.

She is snatched into an alleyway where she is violently assaulted and raped. She then meanders to her apartment, not realizing it is being burglarized. She is sitting on the couch trying to cope with her rape when the burglar appears before her, and discovering that she is mute, proceeds to rape her at gunpoint, knowing that she can't call for help. During the rape she kills him by striking his head with a blunt instrument and then with an iron. She now has possession of a .45.

Without detailing the entire film, she begins by killing out of fear and anger. Her next step is baiting rapists. After suffering from persistent flashbacks she pursues any man she sees touching a woman. She then progresses into seducing and killing men.

Slight problems I ignored via suspension of disbelief: Where DOES she get all those bullets? She makes sounds while barfing and actually mutters her friends name at the end; Histrionic device or was her muteness a sign of emotional instability in the first place?

Ignore any titillatng VHS covers or advertisements; this is neither Gone With The Wind nor Porky's. Does one HAVE to see this movie? No. Will one have wasted one's time if one SEES this movie? No.