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Ms. 45

1981, Movie, R, 84 mins

Ms. 45: Review

MS. 45 | ANGEL OF VENGEANCE
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Tamerlis is a mute girl working in New York City's garment district. On her way home she's raped and then is raped again at home by a burglar. She kills her rapist and, to dispose of the body, cuts it up, stores it in her refrigerator, and on a daily basis dumps parts in different sections of the city. One day, while dumping a bag, she is frightened by a man lounging on a street corner and drops the bag. The man picks it up, thinking she forgot it. When he corners her in an alley, she kills him with a .45 that she took from the burglar. Tamerlis goes on a killing spree, slaying a photographer, a pimp, gang members, a sheik, and any other man who behaves in a sexist manner. The film's climax is a Halloween party, where Tamerlis shows up dressed as a nun, a .45 strapped to her thigh. MS. 45, director Ferrara's first film after DRILLER KILLER, is not an easy movie to watch, not directly because of its violence but because it's a calculated attack on the male-dominated audience of exploitation films. The production begins like any other exploitation film, with unmotivated violence, and then throws ice water on every titillated viewer. The film also explores the darker side of the revenge-vigilante films. Tamerlis has as much right as Bronson to kill the bad guys, but Ferrara makes sure things aren't so black and white as in the "Death Wish" films. She's killing not only criminals but "respectable" businessmen who occasionally like to hit on women. Ferrara's gritty and powerful style makes MS. 45 a standout. His use of music (a spine-tingling saxophone), instinctive camera techniques (overhead shots, the slow-motion finale, the powerful bathroom scene in which the dead rapist suddenly materializes) and the colorful and humorous minor characters make this low-budget picture one of the greatest urban nightmares ever committed to film. leave a comment
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