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:

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

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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

This film was first shown at the Cannes Film Festival and the Milano Film Festival before its official release on April 24, 1981.

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Goofs

There is no evidence to suggest that the character Thana has ever been shown how to handle an automatic pistol, let alone been trained how to fire one, let alone achieved any proficiency; yet within two days of her being raped and acquiring the pistol, she is able to hit four men circling her, at night, each with a single shot, in rapid succession.

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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 US DVD, released by Artisan, features a cut version of the film. The two rape scenes were trimmed, the second even misses some dialogue ("This oughta make you talk, huh?"). The murder of the guy in the yellow T-shirt at the Halloween party shoot-out is now offscreen.

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Connections

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

User Reviews

Abel's "Revenge"

Ultra-dark-and-violent-loving director Abel Ferrara's first film (this one) is, like a lot of his peers' first efforts: a low-budget affair but one that got him attention and jump-started his career.

The actors in here are nobodies and really not that good, particularly the landlady (Editta Sherman) who is so horrible an actress that she's interesting only because she's so inept. Zoe Tamerlis, who played the main character, is almost mesmerizing in her role even though she's a mute so we never hear her voice. She has a pretty face and gave us some effective facial expressions. Too bad she never made it as a star.

The story is strictly a female "Death Wish." A nice girl gets raped not once but twice within hours, snaps, and goes out on a killing spree. Pretty basic revenge on the lowest of levels but a satisfying film nonetheless and, at 80 minutes, breezes by. Definitely worth a look if you like these kind of low-budget revenge flicks.