Guncrazy - Junge Killer

For a school project, promiscuous 15-year-old Drew Barrymore (as Anita Minteer) is instructed to find herself a pen pal. So, she begins writing to 24-year-old prison inmate James LeGros (as Howard Hickok), who is serving time for manslaughter. Through their correspondence, Ms. Barrymore falls in love with Mr. LeGros, and decides to stop having sex with the guys at school, like Rodney Harvey (as Tom) and Jeremy Davies (as Bill). Barrymore also becomes enamored with guns, and learns how to shoot, from absent mother's sexy boyfriend Joe Dallesandro (as Rooney). When Barrymore cuts him off, Mr. Dallesandro turns to rape.

Meanwhile, Barrymore is attempting to get LeGros out of jail, on parole, by convincing snake-charming preacher Billy Drago (as Hank Fulton) that the pistol-whipping prisoner has accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. The parole board buys the ruse, and LeGros is good to go. Ironically, he is unable to satisfy Barrymore's sexual appetite. Still, the pair become close companions. Problems arise when Barrymore reveals a deadly secret to LeGros, and the young couple's "Guncrazy" tendencies boil over. Writer Matthew Bright's doomed characters simmer alongside director Tamra Davis' banister end. The cast is a future cult dream.

****** Guncrazy (5/92) Tamra Davis ~ Drew Barrymore, James LeGros, Billy Drago, Rodney Harvey

The sixteen year-old Anita Minteer (Drew Barrymore) lives in a trailer and is an easy high-school student abused since she was nine that has sex with different teenagers and men including her stepfather. When her school teacher assigns each student to find a pen pal to write, Anita contacts the prison inmate Howard (James LeGros), who is trying to regenerate. Anita is encouraged to learn how to use a revolver and when Howard is released on probation, she convinces her friend pastor Hank Fulton (Billy Drago) to give a chance to Howard in his repair shop. Meanwhile her stepfather rapes her and she uses her gun to kill him and hides his body. Howard is released and meets Anita and they immediately fall in love with each other. He also becomes friend of Anita's girlfriend Joy (Ione Skye), whose father Mr. Kincaid (Michael Ironside) is coincidently his parole officer. Mr. Kincaid is a cruel man that wants Joy to stay away from Anita and Howard. When he finds Joy in Anita's trailer with the couple, he frames Howard to put him back in jail, unleashing a wave of violence of Anita and Howard.

"Guncrazy" is the love story of the outcast Anita and Howard that have serious problems. Anita is an abused young woman and Howard is a criminal on probation with erection problem and together they try to build a new (dysfunctional) life. However their environment of violence does not give a chance to the couple that become a sort of young "Bonnie and Clyde". The flawed conclusion is predictable and poorly resolved. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Guncrazy - Howard & Anita, Jovens Amantes" ("Guncrazy - Howard & Anita, Young Lovers")

Drew Barrymore stars as a teenager who is left with mom's boyfriend (Joe Dalessandro) as she goes off to Fresno. He, and everybody else in town, is sexually abusing her. She hooks up with a pen pal from Chino (James LeGros), who like Clyde barrow just can't get it up. He can't do much else either as he is the worst thief I have ever seen.

She loves shooting guns, but isn't much of a thief either, giving a guys money back after he gives her a sob story about paying the rent.

Ione Sky plays her best friend, Joy, and does a good job. I always enjoy her and like to see more.

Too bad there was little action, and lousy dialog.

Drew is the focus of this feature; for how old she was during the making of this film [15? 16?] she doesn't really disappoint. Her pouty beauty is on ample display in this film. That said, in a couple more years, I think she would have fit more into this role. I wasn't surprised that it was a Matthew Bright script; this has much in common with his later directorial/scripted work "Freeway" in terms of character development. (I feel Bright is an outstanding B-film auteur). Tamra Davis blew some important scenes that could have went another way, but she made up with this with some pretty inspired casting for some of the supporting roles. Ironside, Drago... and I don't remember the sleazy guy who played Drew's mother's boyfriend... but they were all in high style and rare form. You can't beat these guys when they're hitting their cues. LeGros certainly didn't embarrass himself and carved another good portrayal (this guy is a great actor!). For a film that seems to be now so cheap that it's practically in the public domain ($1 DVDs at WalMart and such...) .. I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more recognition, and I'd be sad if it was written off as badly by the producers as I assume it has been to be in such disarray marketing-wise.

We thought this film was a remake of the much better film noir of the same title, or as it's known in this forum, "Deadly is the Female", a 1949 Joseph Lewis' film with a screen play by MacKinlay Kantor. But no, this is another film altogether using the same title as the other one. As directed by Tamra Davis, with the screen treatment by Matthew Bright, this is a film that tries to deliver, but in the end, it's predictable, as we know the mistakes of the couple at the center of the story would work against them.

Anita Minteer seems to be a loner. We watch her in school, where she is not a popular girl in any shape, or form. Some of the pot heads from her school take her for a ride in which two end up having sex with her. Anita has been left to fend for herself by her absent mother, who has gone to Fresno to make some money and ultimately have Anita come live with her. Anita is being sexually abused by her mother's good for nothing boyfriend. The girl loves to learn how to use guns, and Rooney, who wants to keeps her, complies. A sad mistake! Her love for guns will ultimately be her downfall and that of the only person that really loved her.

At school, Anita, and her class, have been asked to find a pen pal, as part of a project. She finds one, but unfortunately, Howard, who writes to her, is in jail. Anita finds a kind garage owner, who is also the head of a weird congregation, to vouch for Howard, who is paroled and comes to work in the town. Howard, is a man who has had no luck, either with women, or in anything else. It's sort of inevitable Anita and Howard fall in love and are married by the minister. Fate is against this duo; in a series of events, Howard will go back to his old ways when forced to do so. We realize there's no way out for this doomed man, or for Anita.

The film doesn't disappoint thanks to the charismatic Drew Barrymore playing Anita. This is a girl too wise for her own good. James Legros, is as always, an interesting actor to watch. His take on Howard, is right. In supporting roles, Joe Dallesandro plays Anita mother's boyfriend, a creep that takes advantage of the situation. Michael Ironside is also seen as Howard's parole officer and Ione Skye plays his daughter, Anita's rebellious friend.

Tamra Davis directs with an eye for detail. This film will not disappoint to crime film fans.