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Zoe Tamerlis, Steve Singer, Jack Thibeau, Peter Yellen, Darlene Stuto ... see more see more... , Editta Sherman , Albert Sinkys , Jimmy Laine , Bogey Mauser , Zoë Lund , Helen McGara , Nike Zachmanoglou

Undeservedly thrashed by mainstream critics in its initial theatrical run, this stylish urban thriller from quirky director Abel Ferrara has since developed a modest cult following. The late Zoe Tamer... read more read more...lis stars as Thana, a mute seamstress in New York's Garment District who is raped by two different assailants in a single evening -- once on her way home, a second time in her apartment by a sleazy burglar (Peter Yellen). She manages to bludgeon her second attacker to death with an iron, keeping his .45 automatic and disposing of his body one piece at a time in various locations throughout the city. When a bystander tries to apprehend her after watching her dispose of another grisly piece of evidence, she shoots him dead with the automatic. This act of violent release triggers a latent misanthropic impulse in the waifish Thana -- who was not very stable to begin with -- and she begins pumping hot lead into any predatory male she can find. The bloodbath continues unabated until the surreal, Sam Peckinpah-inspired climax, in which our anti-heroine escapes a Halloween party to square off against multiple male foes while wearing a nun's habit and blood-red lipstick. This film could be viewed as a distaff version of Ferrara's Driller Killer; where the director's previous effort was purely nihilistic, with a killer driven by urban decay, here he depicts Thana as a gun-toting agent of revenge who seems to have absorbed the collective anger of wronged women everywhere -- including women exploited in other movies of the same genre. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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72% liked it

3,134 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

10 critics

R, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Abel Ferrara

Release Date: April 24, 1981

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DVD Release Date: April 25, 2000

Stats: 188 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (188)

  • ajv2688
    January 10, 2011
    ajv2688
    My favourite female revenge film, it's very atmospheric, spooky, and hypnotizing, and I loved it.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    March 17, 2010
    cancercapricorn2002
    If it's gritty, authentic 80s exploitation you're after, then look no further than Abel Ferrara's excellent rape/revenge thriller, Ms.45, which stars the stunning Zoe Tamerlis as Thana, a mute seamstress who goes on a killing spree after being sexually assaulted twice in one day.... read more This feminist version of Death Wish is an ultra-stylish, mega-violent, and super-cool classic of the genre that never pulls its punches, and is highly recommended to fans of similarly themed cult movies such as The Exterminator, Thriller: A Cruel Picture, and I Spit On Your Grave.

    Whilst Ferrara's tale is admittedly the stuff of pure B-movie trash, with Thana ultimately becoming an insane, man-hating, killing-machine spewing bullets indiscriminately at any male who crosses her path, the film manages to transcend its low budget roots to become a genuine work of art thanks to its superb visuals, an unforgettable performance from the beguiling lead actress, and brilliant use of a jazzy soundtrack.

    Like many great exploitation pics of the era, the film makes excellent use of a very seedy looking New York, with worthless punks, violent pimps, and sexist scumbags hanging on every street corner, just begging for a slug from a .45 right between the eyes (which reminds me, is yelling 'hey, baby doll' to passing women a recommended dating technique in the Big Apple or any place for that matter?). Drawing his inspiration from the thoroughly sleazy vibe of early 80s downtown Manhattan, Ferrara delivers an unforgettable experience that offers viewers several truly iconic moments of exploitation cinema, including Thana's transition from meek dressmaker to blood-red lipstick wearing vigilante (accompanied by a screeching saxophone), the stunning execution of a street-gang in Central Park, and the amazing finale where Thana, wearing a sexy nun outfit, loses her cool at a fancy dress party.

    Slick, riveting and totally unmissable, Ms.45 is an almost-perfect movie (it would've got a perfect score if it hadn't been for Editta Sherman's irritating performance as Thana's nosey landlady, Mrs. Nasone?I don't understand why she couldn't have accidentally caught a stray bullet in the head!).
  • adammahler1
    September 14, 2009
    adammahler1
    MInimalist pulp that turns into a feminist thesis, as its character turns from handicapped ingenue into homicidal fashion model. Like Ferrara's Driller Killer, the movie has a desire-disgust relationship with the world of NYC's bohemian artist-hustlers. Through his heroine, the d... read moreirector finds bemusement-disgust in his fellow man trying to get laid. The way pick-up artists and leches interpret the mute girl's silence as desire/acceptance/allure is both pathetic and funny. Ferrara the actor plays a rapist, and Ferrara the director won't show any of her nude. The movie ends up having a lot of empathy for women, and for the viewer, as though even the men among them are watching with more real sensitivity than the louts on screen. In following the tragedy of the protagonist, it seems a little guilty about having been made as an exploitation film. The assaults on the heroine seem edited for schlock-value. Once that's over with, the compositions on fairly uncrowded streets and arty jolts in the editing add some rhythm and energy within the budget considerations and the morbid joke throwaways. The movie seems to be more than the sum of its parts and animosities, maybe b/c if it gets to you, it gets you on its side.
  • pier007
    July 3, 2009
    pier007
    Morbid and fun cult classic that shows the big apple's nocturnal agitation caused by a beautiful angel with a "death wish" m.o and a deep mental disturbance ala "repulsion".
    Too bad Ferrara's impossiblity to push further into psychological horror, instead he goes for sensationali... read moresm. The leap between the innocent and disturbed young girl and the vexatious, psychopathic avenger was a little too abrupt, but it has a crazy soundtrack and the atmosphere for itself is great, sinisterly kitsch.
  • kenstachnik
    February 5, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Sleazy, Boring and Mostly Pointless
  • KLFilmmaker
    March 29, 2011
    KLFilmmaker
    Good little exploitation revenge flick. Zoe Tamerlis was an incredible beauty.
  • John2223
    May 23, 2010
    John2223
    "Ms. 45" is a knockout exploitation flick that provides plenty of thrills, and also a compelling portrait of the insatiable thirst for retribution that can unleashed in even the most superficially meek and timid of people. It isn't the BEST rape/revenge flick out there, but it's... read more definitely a cool, solid and all-around enjoyable flick.
  • alanjayh
    May 4, 2008
    alanjayh
    simple plot, newcomer zoe lund is effective as a deaf mute going on a killing rampage with her newly found .45..where she finds the extra ammo is anyone's guess...it's a low budget exploitation film, not exactly entertaining but an interesting early 80s period piece..if sensless ... read moreviolence don't turn you off perhaps the landlady's 'acting' will...I also thought the saxophone- sounding trumpet at the halloween party was a major gaffe..
  • patrickdol
    February 25, 2008
    patrickdol
    Abel Ferrara has a thing about his movies. It's quite different than anything you're going to see.
    This is a strange film and in a way a revisionist female revenge flick. First of all she gets raped twice in the same day. Normally it's only one atrocious thing. The other is tha... read moret she is not portrayed as sexy, although she is very pretty, don't expect to see any sex scenes, although there are the two rapes and one scene where you see two people engaged in ridiculous sex.
    After her rapes she becomes afraid of men, and goes after men, with her .45, who treat women horribly, like attack them, etc. But she starts getting less and less picky, and gets wrapped up in her man killing obsession.
    What's interesting too is that her situation is presented somewhat objective as she never talks and aside from her expressions and the odd note to others on paper, we don't get her point of view on situations, and also this allows the viewer to take they're one approach and judge their own distance from the character.
    The more I see of Ferrara the more it seems that he's really working intellegently in genres that people feel are quite unintellegent and knows his genre as well, as one can see he own more that a little to films such as Thriller: A Cruel Picture (AKA They Call Her One Eye) especially in the excessive (put not over) use of slow motion in the climax scene, he also uses some images and directing that would fit nicely in the horror genre. Maybe his choice in subject matter in why he's not better revered.
  • cacutshaw
    November 19, 2007
    cacutshaw
    Up until Irreversible this was easily the greatest rape/revenge flick. Excellent direction and lead performance by Zoe Lund (who went on to write Ferrara's masterpiece Bad Lieutenant!) make this a must see for film and sleaze fans alike.

View All Ms. 45 Reviews

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce
November 12, 2011
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Eros and Thana(tos) in Manhattan, a bravura, feverish vision Full Review

Cole Smithey
August 2, 2009
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

Abel Ferrara's 1981 cult uber thriller is a feminist take on the good-old-bad-old days of Manhattan that gave rise to films like "Death Wish" and "Taxi Driver." Full Review

Pablo Villaca
April 4, 2009
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Tolo em sua obviedade temática e narrativa, surge como uma submistura de Taxi Driver e Desejo de Matar, transformando uma ode feminista num exercício paradoxalmente misógino e pueril.

Felix Vasquez Jr.
May 31, 2008
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

A clever and very morbid take on sexual violence on the cusp of the eighties, and the effects it can have on the quiet individuals we often deem as harmless... Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
June 19, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's about as witty as a come-on from a hard-hat. Full Review

Nick Schager
April 2, 2006
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Sexy, squalid. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
October 9, 2002
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner

A brilliant, gory -- and finally human -- cult classic.

Emanuel Levy
July 4, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Daniel M. Kimmel
January 30, 2004
Daniel M. Kimmel, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
February 28, 2002
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

Click to read the article Full Review

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