User reviews

No need to echo consensus points or plot details after a hundred or so reviews.

Yes indeed, much has been written about Lewis's little gem and deservedly so. What I get from it is how trapped Bart (Dall) is by forces he neither understands nor controls, until it's too late. On one hand there's Annie Laurie Starr (Cummins) whose raw sexuality is about as subtle as Mae West on aphrodisiacs. On the other, is Bart's natural talent with guns, the only thing he professes to be good at. So when the camera pans up from Laurie's thighs to the twirling six-shooters in the carny sideshow, Bart's in some kind of NRA heaven.

Then after he shoots out her last flame to show who's gun boss, their betrothal is sealed. At this point, they could retire to a Remington plant somewhere to live out conventional lives, except for one problem--- Laurie gets turned on by violence, especially with a revolver, while Bart's a converted pacifist, allergic to killing anything. So the problem is if Bart wants some of Laurie's white-hot sex, he's got to collaborate on her life of crime. Poor Bart, he'd like to be just another married couple, but temptress Laurie is just too much for his confusion. Plus, it's not a ring that bonds them, it's two clutching hands on a revolver that seals their love. For Bart, it's a spell he can't break until the mist finally swallows them both.

No doubt about it, Lewis has concocted a visual masterpiece that frames the story perfectly. However, I'm still wondering how Bart can shoot out a cop's tire through a glass pane without breaking it. Oh well, no movie's perfect.

I had heard a lot about this when I first discovered "film noir," and I was not disappointed. It was very entertaining. I still enjoy watching this periodically, even after a half-dozen viewings.

John Dall and Peggy Cummins make one of the more interesting male-female pairings I've ever seen on film. Cummins is one of the prettiest women I've seen from the noir era and fascinating to view throughout this movie. I'm sorry her other films aren't on video. She didn't do many movies in the U.S.

The character Dall plays is good, too, although in the end his constant whining over the predicament he got into gets a little annoying. He plays the nice guy who is led astray by the bad woman. Yes, another classic example of the old Rabbinic saying that "a bad woman will always drag down a good man."

Innovative camera-work also make this fun to watch. At just under an hour-and- a-half, this is a fast-moving, always-entertaining film noir that lives up to its hype.

I have long been a fan of Film Noir. I consider this film to be unique and one of the best. The first and only time I saw it in a theater was in 1949 when I was 14. It was titled "Gun Crazy". I thought it was great but it didn't receive rave reviews or last long in hometown theaters. I understand they renamed it "Deadly Is The Female" in 1950 for its release in England, reason being that co-star Peggy Cummins was British and emphasizing the female star would be better box-office.

In the years that passed I wanted to see it again but it didn't appear on TV or later on any videotape that I knew of. In the 1983 Richard Geer film "Breathless" there is a chase scene where he is trying to escape by way of the stage behind a movie screen. On that screen was playing what I immediately recognized as "Gun Crazy". Over the years since then I have continued to look for the movie but was unable to find it. Less than a month ago I found it on DVD and purchased an excellent copy. I found that the movie is just as good as I remember it.

The film is essentially a story of a boy named Bart Tare (Russ Tamblyn) who loves guns for sport but refuses to harm any living being with them. After stealing one from a local store, he is caught and sent to a reformatory. The story continues four reformatory years plus one army hitch later when an adult Bart (John Dall) is discharged. He and some friends go to a cheap carnival where he sees and immediately falls for a trick shot artist, Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins). He beats her in a shooting contest but is offered a job in the act rather than the prize he was supposed to win.

Bart is unaware of her dark past, which includes hints of prostitution and the murder of a man in St. Louis. After a showdown with the jealous carnival owner they run off together and get married. When their money runs out, Bart wants to get a job but Annie Laurie's mind runs in a different direction, armed robbery. Reluctantly, Bart gives in and they set off on a spree of low paying stickups. By this time, Bart is increasingly aware that Annie Laurie has homicidal tendencies that he is barely able to keep under control. They plan a big-time robbery during which she kills two people without his knowledge. The rest of the movie deals with their flight from justice and ultimate payment for their crimes. In all, it is a classic scenario of "Bad Girl" leads a "Good Boy" into evil.

Personal opinion is that John Dall did a better acting job in this movie than he did in "Rope". In a bit of self-analysis I must admit that I have long been fascinated by "Wicked Women". This movie alone placed Peggy Cummins among my favorite "femme fatales", which included the queen of mean, Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Beverly Michaels and other notables.

If you like classic film noir, it is a good movie to remember and see again.

At the time, such an idea of having the heroes being the criminals was un-heard of, but Joseph H. Lewis's film deservedly has its claim of being the little B-movie that could (forgive the mechanical analogy) by inspiring the French new-wave and other films like Bonnie & Clyde. The idea of having a tragic love story pitted in the middle of noir facade was also seen in the equally powerful low-budget They Live by Night. But while Nicholas Ray's film is more impressive on its emotional stakes, Gun Crazy rakes up points for some of its technical achievements. The style implemented by Lewis and DP Russel Harlan (also responsible for the great photography in Red River) adds excitement to the more suspenseful, even violent scenes, and adds some sentiment to the softer ones involving the couple. And I love the scenes where young Bart can't seem to put away his fascination with guns.

Bart (John Dall) starts off as a boy, and in some of these early scenes (some of the best in the film), we see how he is changed by an unfortunate act, and then the story skips ahead suddenly. Now Bart is an adult, out of the army, and gets re-introduced to guns once he meets his soon-to-be love and partner in crime, Annie, played by Peggy Cummins. From there, after getting married and needing (or rather wanting) money, they start robbing banks across country, but soon to meet their demise. But more than anything, the film's focus isn't one where 'crime doesn't pay' or some kind of typical, of-the-period nonsense. Like the Asphalt Jungle, we're given these conflicted, emotional beings who may meet their own ends with each other before the law. And in the film-noir tradition, it's the woman here who will act as a main catalyst for the end of them. It's psychological side of danger, pathological lies, and the pattern of a downward spiral in having to commit violent acts (even un-intentionally), becomes what really pulls in the viewer into the picture, aside from the more loose, on-location 'real' style and interesting camera-work.

Under more 'B-movie' conditions, Lewis sneaks in plenty of chances to look past some of the more cardboard cut-out forms the characters could have been. The acting by the leads is also very good, the script mostly by Dalton Trumbo is one of his best, and both understand how one reflects the other. Cummins is perfect in her part, even if Dall isn't quite as much a stand-out (though, of course, he's the sap to her more wicked side). Also out of the script comes cool lines like the one listed in the summary. It's a notch above many other B-noirs of the period, and should be seen by most serious fans of the 'mood' that came in noir films. A bit cynical, fatalistic to be sure, but it's smart too.

The original title of "Gun Crazy" was "Deadly Is the Female," and they ain't kidding. If you thought Faye Dunaway's Bonnie Parker was the more ruthless member of the crime duo that gave Arthur Penn's 1967 film its name, wait till you get a load of Peggy Cummins's Annie in this little known cheapie from 1949. I wouldn't want to get on this woman's bad side; she can shoot cigarettes out of people's mouths, for God's sake.

"Gun Crazy" is such an obvious influence on Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" that I can't believe the later film doesn't credit it directly. Though the 1949 film is based on a short story that appeared in the "Saturday Evening Post" and the 1967 film worked with an original screenplay, both films could have been adapted from the same source. They portray the Annie/Bonnie character as bored and restless, turned on by the thought of crime and by a manly man who can really use his "gun." The Bart/Clyde character is tickled by the idea of being a virile stud in the eyes of his lover, but is ultimately too sensitive for the life they choose. And both films do a good job of portraying the desperation that plagues both couples, the isolation and loneliness they create for themselves and can never break out of, and the ultimate futility of their actions, since the "law" is going to catch up with them sooner or later.

Peggy Cummins is really good in this. I don't know what else she's been in, but her baby-doll voice creates an effective contrast to her colder-than-ice attitude. She's crooning into her lover's ear one minute and itching to kill someone the next. And you have to dig those French-inspired fashions that would cause a sensation nearly 20 years later when Dunaway donned them again for Penn's film.

I thought John Dall was at first odd casting for the role of Bart. Annie is supposed to think of him as a man's man, and Dall, with his willowy physique and gentle mannerisms is far from that. But then when we realize that he's at heart really too gentle for the life he and Annie have chosen for themselves, his casting makes sense.

There are some small touches to this film that really add to its immediacy and realism. I loved the scenes of Annie and Bart driving to and from their heist jobs, shot from the back seat of the car as if we are a member of their gang. They have really funny and natural banter back and forth about where to park, etc. which I have to believe was improvised to some extent. The ending of the film, a face off in a creepy swamp, is eerie, and there's a small twist in the last seconds of the film that might be easy to miss but may give you some things to think about if you catch it.

It's interesting, and rather depressing, that one of the main themes of this film is the obsession with guns and violence that pervaded the country nearly 60 years ago, and here we are a handful of wars later, still dragging around the same old obsessions. Michael Moore's recent documentary "Bowling for Columbine" could have just as easily been called "Gun Crazy," if that title weren't already taken by this forgotten little blast of a movie.

Grade: A-

Gun Crazy (1950)

The clumsy original title, Deadly is the Female, is surely accurate. Boy was Peggy Cummins perfect in this role, and it's odd she did little else with her career. She's no searing dame as in other noirs, but she's a kind of regular, cute girl who attracts not men, but one particular man, played by John Dall. Dall is a perfect victim. He plays the innocent ordinary American guy perfectly, better than even a James Stewart because he has no charisma, no ability to inspire those around him.

So Annie and Bart form a pair of misfits who fit together. And they both love guns, and are really really good with them.

The plot is pretty straight forward from here, but it's fast, and photographed with more vigor than most better films. The dialog pushes the artifice of noir-speak a bit hard, but I swallow it whole and love it as style. And besides, these are two unsophisticated people who might just talk a little corny and dramatic at times. And Annie is truly unpredictable, and her ups and downs are a thrill for us as much as a worry for poor Bart.

Yes, a femme fatale and a noir hero, isolated and doomed. And some riveting long take photography including the now legendary camera view from the back seat of a car, on and on, and on, showing them driving, getting out, waiting while they rob a bank, swerving out a little to look out the window, pulling back, and following them on their escape. It's about as good as B-movie camera-work innovation gets. Cinematographer Russell Harlan was an A-movie quality guy from the studios, later to do "Witness for the Prosecution" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." The angles, the close-ups on their sweaty faces, the moving camera. Check it out.

This is a great movie, in all. Legendary for many reasons. It has flaws if you want to see them that way. Or it has all the raw energy of a scrappy fighter who is determined to win, and does.

John Dall (Bart) loves guns and is a sharp shooter. Peggy Cummins (Annie) loves excitement and is also a sharp-shooter. When these two meet, it is just meant to be and you sense that no good is going to come of this union. Correct.

The story plays out as a 'Bonnie & Clyde'-like story and has several memorable sequences, eg, the Cummins hitch-hike, the bank robbery when the cop appears just outside Cummins and her getaway car, the mega bank robbery that they pull off as their last job, and the sequence at the end in the misty mountains. There is much to encourage you to stay watching and egg on these two misfits in their pursuits - ha ha. Cool soundtrack and entertaining dialogue. What a pity about the stupid Hayes Code.

What is the quintessence of a film-noir? A good answer is: an evil strong woman that manipulates a weak, although basically decent, man, involving him in a crazy love, doomed to a tragic ending. Then we can safely state that "Deadly is the Female" is a perfect instance of film-noir.

The movie has outstanding merits. The cinematography, and especially the camera-work are excellent, and comparable to the best achievements in the film-noir genre. Justly celebrated are the scenes filmed with the camera inside the car, like that of the bank shot in Hampton, a true cinematic gem. John Dall and Peggy Cummins, in the roles of the doomed lovers Bart and Annie Laurie, make a great job. The story starts slowly (a minor drawback), but as soon as the two lovers cross the border of legality, the movie acquires a quick, exciting and ruthless pace and presents a powerful finale.

The psychology of Bart and Annie Laurie is studied with care. Annie Laurie is a systematic liar. With Bart she always looks sweet, deeply in love, even subdued to her man. To justify her shootings and murders, she always whines with Bart that she had lost her nerves, that she was scared. But when Bart is not present, the viewer gets from her body language and the cruel expression of her eyes that she just loves to kill. Great job by Peggy Cummins.

So does Laurie just make use of Bart for her dirty purposes, to satisfy her own depravity? Not at all. Oddly enough, in another famous scene we see that Laurie really loves Bart with all her heart. Only, she is bad and cruel, that's her inner core. And is Bart so stupid and bewitched not to realize that Laurie is going to ruin him? No, he knows it, and he deeply suffers, but ultimately he doesn't care. Only Laurie counts. Desperately crazy love... how fascinating! (at least in a film-noir).

The script offers several memorable lines, and the many subtleties give realism to the story. For instance, Bart and Laurie are not professional criminals, and they show it when they carelessly spend "hot" money, which will cost them dearly.

"Deadly is the Female" is an excellent film, a relevant nugget in the film-noir gold mine. Highly recommended.

Peggy Cummins is the epitome of the bad dame.....in a word, terrific. The casting of this British actress was probably chancy for director Lewis but he hit paydirt. She comes across as a woman who wants it all and doesn't care how she gets it. Besides, she like to kill and wants to do "Just one more job." The choice of John Dall for the male lead was even more chancy. Dall, a stage actor, certainly wasn't very masculine and his acting revealed his stage background. But, again, Lewis hit the jackpot since it made the control that Cummins had over him even more believable.

The story has already been discussed on these boards so I won't repeat it except to say that it moves along at a rapid pace and keeps you enthralled from the beginning (well, not quite. Forget the sappy prologue and get right to the story.) A lot has been said about the one shot (from the back seat of the car) bank robbery but it is dynamite. It is said that Dall and Cummins' dialogue is improvised and that when you hear someone shout" The bank has been robbed", it is an actual pedestrian who did not know that a movie was being made. Now that's realism.

This little B thriller is as good as it gets and belongs right up there with "Detour", the gem of low-budget films. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

I've been hearing about Gun Crazy for a good long time and it didn't disappoint. It reminded me of Borzage's Moonrise (one of my absolute favourites): very few films capture the sheer terror of presiding over a less powerful being's fate this well... In Moonrise, it's a raccoon in a tree, shaken loose for the dogs; in GC it's a fuzzy baby chicken killed with a bb gun... and there are echoes of this nightmarish power all through the film. These aren't your typical "frightened killers" on the run. They're frightened alright, but mostly they're frightened of their own superior firepower...

But this isn't Natural Born Killers either... Nor is it some bland argument in favour of gun control! More than anything, this is a brilliant dramatization of how badly things can deteriorate for two people, once they decide that they can "live for love alone" and opt out of the social contract. These monsters are not "products of their environment": they choose their fate...

"Didn't you realize that once we started this, we'd never be able to turn to anyone for help again?" Dall asks Cummins. She knows.

Cummins is amazing in this role. I don't even think she qualifies as a femme fatale really... That term usually applies to a money-grubbing jerk who tantalizes the male protagonist into compromising his integrity. In some ways, she does have this effect on Dall, but it's a lot more complicated than that... This isn't Phyllis Dietrichson & Walter Neff. Barbara Stanwyck is my favourite actress, bar none, but Double Indemnity? That's gotta be one of the worst things she ever did. It's not her fault. It's Billy Wilder's. He liked his women venal or pixiesh... Either way--they're just there to affect the men. I hate Billy Wilder. I really do. If you're looking for a Stanwyck character to compare Cummins to, try her eponymous turn in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers on for size. There are a lot of similarities. Both women are extraordinarily competent, and that's what makes them appealing. They aren't moral black holes sucking the men to their doom--they're Nietzschean supernovae of desire. Cummins isn't trying to fool Dall into getting stuff for her. She wants a partner in crime. Someone to keep her company while she does what she does (& loves) best. Shoot people. Dall is a lot more squeamish than that, but he can't keep away from her. "I let you do my killing for me," he says.

It's true.

They aren't two people anymore. They're one. And it turns out that romantic fusion isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact it's crazy.

Although John Dall did a few cinema classics like The Corn Is Green, Rope, Spartacus, he will probably go down with this small B film noir Gun Crazy which even with the Code firmly in place managed to come across with a finely etched portrayal of two young people with serious self esteem issues which are represented by their obsession with firearms.

With Dall it's self esteem, with British import Peggy Cummins it's a great deal more than that. Gun Crazy has a prologue where we see Dall portrayed earlier in his life by Russ Tamblyn as an incorrigible juvenile. But with decent surroundings he might have kept his darker impulses in check.

But a chance encounter with at a carnival where Peggy Cummins is a featured attraction as a trick shot artist and Dall finds he and Cummins have a bond with their shooting. Unbeknownst to Dall, Peggy has already honed her skills on human targets already. She has no problem getting Dall to put his useful skill with firearms to a life of crime.

Dall can kill if needed, but Cummins is one of the most amoral individuals ever shown on the big screen. She really loves her work and never more when someone gives her an excuse to fire fatal bullets.

There's a lot of action in Gun Crazy, but ultimately the film is a fine character study of two flawed individuals. This is a real underground classic, don't miss it when broadcast because it provided two career roles for its stars.

This is probably the worst acted and worst scripted film I've ever seen rated this high. The dialogue is laughably bad and the acting is without exception execrable. Now, if people are saying this is so bad it's good, then I get it. If they're actually saying this has any subtlety or depth as a real drama, they're a bit cracked.

Bart Tare (John Dall) had a fascination with guns from an early age, even getting sent to a reform school at the age of 14 for yet another gun related incident. Back home now as an adult, after a stint in the army, he falls for a sharp-shooting carnival girl called Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) and promptly joins the act. But after a fall out with the boss, the pair hit the road and turn to a life of crime - with Annie particularly showing a thirst for gun-play.

No doubt inspired by real life outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, "Deadly Is the Female" (AKA: Gun Crazy) is as good a "doomed lovers on the lam" picture that has ever been made. It may be a "B" movie in terms of production, but no doubt about it, this film is stylish, crafty and also very sexy. Directed by the unsung Joseph H. Lewis ("My Name Is Julia Ross/The Big Combo"), it's based on a story written by MacKinlay Kantor that was reworked by Millard Kaufman (AKA: the then blacklisted "Dalton Trumbo"), into one that links sex and violence whilst simultaneously casting an eye over gun worship and its place in the American way of life. Dall & Cummings looked on the surface an odd pairing, but under Lewis' direction they go together like gun and holster (ahem). He is well spoken, almost elegantly fragile with his musings, yet underneath there is still this twitchy gun fanatic. She is savvy, almost virginal in sexuality, but ultimately she's a wild cat who's practically un-tamable.

The work of Lewis here should not be understated, check out the quite sublime continuous one take bank robbery. While marvel throughout at his long takes, use of angles, deep focus and jerking camera movements - all of which dovetail with our protagonists as they go on their nihilistic journey. But perhaps his master-stoke was with his preparation tactics for his two leads?. Sending them out with permission to improvise, he fired them up with sexual pep talks, and the result, in spite of the inevitable "code" restrictions, is a near masterpiece, a true genre highlight, and a film that continues to influence as much as it still entertains. 9/10

In Cashville, the boy Bart Tare steals a gun from a hardware store and during his trial, his sister Ruby (Anabel Shaw) and his best friends Dave and Clyde testimonies to Judge Willoughby (Morris Carnovsky) disclose that Bart has always loved guns. Further, he is a skilled shooter but incapable to shoot a living being. However he is sentenced to spend four years in a reform school and after that, he joins the army.

Years later, he returns to his hometown and is welcomed by Ruby and her family, and his friends Deputy Clyde Boston (Harry Lewis) and Dave Allister (Nedrick Young). They go to a carnival to celebrate, where Bart meets the performer Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) that is also a crack shot. Bart is hired by the owner of the carnival and soon the ambitious Annie convinces him to leave the carnival and try a better life. They get married and do not have lucky in gambling, losing all their money. Soon Annie convinces Bart to rob different towns in the beginning of their crime spree. Although Bart is unable to use his gun for killing, he does not know the violent past of his wife that murdered a man in St. Louis years ago. Until the day she kills again and they become wanted by the FBI.

"Deadly Is the Female", a.k.a. "Gun Crazy", is a good film-noir with a story of a couple robbing several towns probably inspired by Bonnie and Clyde. But the acting and the great action scenes make this movie worthwhile watching. Peggy Cummins performs the femme fatale that ruins the life of a man that is not capable to shoot another human being. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Mortalmente Perigosa" ("Deadly Dangerous")

Sharpshooters Ben Tare and Annie Laurie Starr, fall in love at a carnival sideshow, marry soon after and hope for a peaceful married life. When the money runs out Annie tells Ben that using the guns for nefarious purposes will the only way for them to survive. While placid Ben agrees to the proposal, trigger happy Annie soon gets them deeper and deeper in trouble with the law following robbery after robbery, stickup after stickup, until it becomes kill or be killed. Very daring and overlooked film, rises above the status of the B movie genre to which this film is delegated to. Cummins is perfect as the gun-crazed, as well the love-hungry Annie. Great cinematography by Russell Harlan, shooting all of the bank holdups from the back seat of the couple's car, making the audience feel a part of the getaway. Rating, 9 of 10

A moody minor masterpiece about a violent couple who will stop at nothing to get their purports. Annie Laurie Starr : Peggy Cummins, works as a shooter in an Annie Oaklie Wild West Show and meets gun-lovin' Bart Tare : John Dall, who says a gun makes him feel good inside. Both of whom fall in love and the two get married and live happily ever after until the money runs out and fatal femme Laurie is craving for excitement and violence begins to flare up. As they assault banks, take payrolls, and kill, as they become lovebirds on the lam. They both are obsessed with firearms and each other and their inevitable flight from the law.

An extremely well made film with perfect cinematography in black and white by ex-stuntman Russell Harlan, as well as atmospheric, exciting musical score by classy composer Victor Young . The realism of the breathtaking hold-up scenes is owed in part to technical consultation of former train robber Al Jennings. This is a classic cult movie that justifies its awesome reputation. Certainly, it deserves to be mentioned that it it follows in the same breath as Bonnie and Clyde. Superb acting by the two protagonists, Peggy Cummins as the cold-blood killer and John Dall gives his best film, along with The Rope, by a country mile.They are well accompanied by a fine support cast as Berry Kroeger, Trevor Bardette, Don Beddoe, Harry Lewis, Anabel Shaw, and watch for a young Russ Tamblyn as the 13-year-old Bart.

Screen-written by prestigious and blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, under pseudonym as Millard Kauffman. Masterfully directed by Joseph H Lewis who chooses all the right angles for a real impact and never puts a wrong foot. Lewis was a B craftsman who directed a lot of films of all kinds of genres with a penchant for Noir movies, as he made Drama, Thriller, Action, Western such as Terror in a Texas town, 7th cavalry, The Halliday brand, A lawless street, Cry of the hunted, Retreat hell, Desperate search , A lady without passport, The undercover man, So dark the night, My name is Julia Ross, The mad doctor of Market Street, The gang of mine and his greatest hits were The Big Combo and Gun Crazy .Rating 7.5/10. Better than average. Essential and indispensable watching for classic movies aficionados and Film Noir fans.

Deprived of guns by well-meaning adults, fifteen-year-old Rusty Tamblyn (as Barton Tare) tries to steal one from a hardware store. Young Tamblyn explains, "Shooting's what I'm good at. It's what I want to do when I grow up," and explains his love for guns, "I feel good when I'm shooting them. I feel awful good, like I'm somebody." Charged with "Grand Larceny" and sent to reform school, the lad later emerges from the army as John Dall.

Still gunning for fun, Mr. Dall partners up with shapely carnival attraction Peggy Cummins (as Annie Laurie Starr), after besting her in a shooting contest. Obviously, the two are "Gun Crazy" soul-mates. Although Dall is basically a good man who suffers remorse from his only "kill" (a baby chicken), Ms. Cummins has already murdered a man. Wickedly evil, Cummins has no aversion to killing bystanders as the dynamic duo become notorious bank robbers.

Loosely based on the "Bonnie and Clyde" story, this makes Dall the protagonist hero and places the blame on his feminine companion. It's rooted in the biblical "Adam and evil" plot. But, while Cummins is given the short end of the original sin stick, she is marvelous in the role - just watch her eat a hamburger. Dall's characterization is also intoxicating. Under Joseph H. Lewis' superb direction, they form an essential link in the chain of crime duo films.

********* Gun Crazy (1/20/50) Joseph H. Lewis ~ John Dall, Peggy Cummins, Berry Kroeger, Russ Tamblyn

Now some kind of classic, "Gun Crazy" finds a pair of fugitives falling in love and running from the law. They move from one town to the next, sticking up banks, hitting shops and making a fast getaway before the cops arrive. Sounds familiar?

Yes, "Bonnie and Clyde", "Person's in Hiding", Fritz Lang's "You Only Live Once", Nicholas Ray's "They Live by Night", Sam Peckinpah's "The Getaway", Robert Altman's "Thieves Like Us" (a remake of Ray's film) and Terrence Malick's "Badlands" are all better films that flow along similar lines. But none have a first act as seductively brilliant as "Gun Crazy".

14 year old Bart (played by John Dall) walks up to a hardware store, peers through its rain soaked glass and lusts for the ivory handled gun he sees resting in a display case. He throws a brick through the window, grabs the gun, and runnings across a street before tripping and tumbling to the floor. The gun skitters across cobblestone and lands at the feet of a police officer. The kid looks up at the ominous figure, terrified that he's been caught.

The next scene takes place in a courtroom. Here we learn that, despite his kinky love of guns, Bart detests violence and "has no killer instinct". Due to an absent father, the kid simply has a fairly low self esteem and feels that guns give him a "sense of manliness", shooting making him "feel awful good inside." But because Bart's gun-fixation has become "a dangerous mania", a court judge sentences the boy to an out-of-town reform school. Here he will hopefully be provided with "fatherly guidance" and "discipline" and so be "cured".

Flash forward several years and Bart is at a circus. Here he meets Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins), a seductive cowgirl and trick shooter. Director Joseph Lewis shoots Starr with low angles, heightening her sexuality, and focusing on her buttocks and crotch. Particularly salacious are the way her pistols dangle on her waist, the way her trousers seductively hug her body and the way her guns rub suggestively against her body. Never have guns looked so phallic.

Bart and Starr soon fall in love. He loves guns, he says, because they give him a sense of self worth. She loves guns, she says, because they provide her with a sense of masculinity and power. Essentially, they both love guns because, castrated and disempowered, both socially and psychically, they lack a penis. In real life as well, the gun is not a symbol of strength, but rather of fragility, psychic emasculation and Lack.

In an interview, director Joseph H. Lewis revealed his instructions to his actors. He told John Dall, "Your cock's never been so hard," and told Peggy, "You're a female dog in heat, and you want him. But don't let him have it in a hurry. Keep him waiting." The film benefits from his direction. Its first 40 minutes ooze a perverted sort of sexuality, the film at once creepy and remarkably sexy for a movie made in 1950. Unfortunately things then degenerate into your standard "fugitives on the run" movie, and all sexual subtext is dropped. What could have been a great psychodrama instead turns into a low budget "Bonnie and Clyde".

A daring bank raid, shot in a single long take, keep the viewer interested, but for the most part the film's final 2 acts are rather predictable.

7.9/10 - The first 40 minutes of this film are really brilliant. It's very much like "Blue Steel", a flick with Jaime Lee Curtis in which emasculated and traumatised characters find themselves turning guns into fetishized, sexual objects.