Ms. 45 (1981)

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer:

Nicholas St. John (writer)

Release Date:

24 April 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Crime Will No Longer Roam the Streets.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Mute | Gun | New York | Vengeance | Photographer

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Zoë Lund	...	Thana (as Zoë Tamerlis)
Albert Sinkys	...	Albert
Darlene Stuto	...	Laurie
Helen McGara	...	Carol
Nike Zachmanoglou	...	Pamela
Abel Ferrara	...	1st Rapist (as Jimmy Laine)
Peter Yellen	...	The Burglar (2nd Rapist)
Editta Sherman	...	Mrs. Nasone (Landlady)
Vincent Gruppi	...	Heckler on Corner
S. Edward Singer	...	The Photographer
Stanley Timms	...	The Pimp
Faith Peters	...	The Prostitute
Lawrence Zavaglia	...	The Arab
Alex Jachino	...	The Chauffeur
Jack Thibeau	...	Man in Bar

Also Known As:

Angel of Vengeance (Australia)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:(Banned) (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1981) | Finland:K-18 (2001) | Argentina:18 | USA:X | New Zealand:R18 (re rating) (1999) | USA:R (edited for re-rating) | USA:X (original rating) | Australia:R | France:-12 | Norway:18 (re-rating) (2003) | Sweden:(Banned) | West Germany:18 | UK:18 (cut) | Iceland:16 | Norway:(Banned) (1981-2003) (cinema release) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Navaron Films

Trivia:

The name of Zoë Lund's character, Thana, is reminiscent of the Greek god of death, "Thanatos". Sigmund Freud used the word to refer to the human "death instinct", which leads people to take risks, seek thrills or behave destructively in ways that could lead to death.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: One band member is playing the trumpet, but what you hear is obviously a saxophone. There is no trumpet sound in the song the band is playing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bad Lieutenant (1992)

Ms. 45

I am glad "Ms. 45" is back on the shelf, because for a long time it was hard to find, certainly up here in Canada. This film is superior to "Driller Killer" in every way except for the lead track. Nothing touches the live performance of Tony Coca Cola and the Roosters playing The Grand Street Stomp. It is quite obvious in "Ms. 45" that that is not the sound of a trumpet. Anyway, for those who don't dig this, you can't tell me you can diss it. This, his second film, is night and day between "Driller Killer". What an obvious improvement. I was hoping that the DVD wouldn't be Vanilla and have at least a directors commentary. "Driller Killer's" commentary is legendary. And while you could chalk this up as being the female version of "Death Wish" there are some elements here that make it a true horror flick. For all those who liked "Eating Raoul", this is a must see. Suspension of disbelief is an obvious exercise here, but you won't be disappointed with it if this is your thing. See if you can spot Michael Richards as one of the extras at the Halloween party.