A Gun in the House

Two criminals are attacking housewives in their homes in suburbia. Our main character's solution? To get A Gun in the House.

While everyone in a suburban block is having a discussion on guns and safety in the neighbourhood, we see two masked men break into a woman's house to rob her. They also go as far as raping her. We meet our lead character Emily who is rattled by the latest attacks in the neighbourhood against women, so she buys a chain for the door instead of getting a gun. After the chain is a dud in her husbands eyes, Emily begins going to the shooting range to learn how to use a gun for protection. Late one night, the two men break in and attack Emily also humiliating her in the process. They pour alcohol on her and make her crawl around the floor like a dog. She breaks free of them and grabs the gun shooting one of the men dead in the process, the other runs off. The police then turn the story around on Emily and make her the villain instead of the victim. Can Emily prove her innocence? And will the second man be found?

A Gun in the House isn't a bad Made-For-TV horror drama. There is a lot of discussion throughout the film of are guns good or bad to have, and what is the real problem - guns or the people who carry them. Very relevant to almost every decade and dealing with gun control laws. The film drags slowly in the middle half. It's pretty much just Emily going to the shooting range over and over again to learn how to fire the weapon.

Sally Struthers does a beautiful job as the victim in this break and enter case. Her emotions and fear when the two men attack her and humiliate her are so well done. And then the confusion she shows when she is charged for the murder of the one boy, pretty powerful.

All in all, A Gun in the House is a pretty effective thriller about the dangers of owning a gun and the consequences that can come from it. It also depicts a very terrifying experience of a home invasion and how that can affect a person. I recommend it.

6/10

This telefilm pulls no punches and can be tough to watch, but the central performance, the handling and the plot (which doesn't feel mechanized) makes it worthwhile. Perky Sally Struthers is attacked by two masked thugs in her home, who degrade and humiliate her; she breaks free and grabs her gun, but is later dragged through legal mud before facing one of her attackers yet again. Struthers takes a 'typical housewife' character and makes her immediate and dear to us; she's such a natural that her ordeal here is quite gripping. We follow her through the messy circumstances--which blessedly steer clear of courtroom melodrama--and we are most definitely on her side. In a downsized (but certainly no less important) way, this drama could be the "Death Wish" of the small screen.

A movie with a moral about guns, the law and self defense. Sally Struthers gives an emotional performance in this made-for-tv fare. One scene, daring for 1981 television, is watching uncomfortably as the intruders humiliate their victim. If you ever see it in the listings, is worth catching. Also, the actor who plays the rapist is well cast...eww.

This film is one that could have become a propaganda piece for one side or the other. But, the writers did well to tread the line.

Seeing the wife, played by Sally Struthers, take the upper hand against the creeps who attack her, is very satisfying. She made mistakes by shooting in a panic rather than trying to get her cool back. But then, many people would make mistakes in that situation.

Also, the overzealous DA is, unfortunately, a too-common problem in the real world. Fortunately, in this case, he didn't get a chance to berate the victim, as happens in real life.

The last scene is good, and shows how good the writers are at not forcing an agenda. You just have to see it, and depending on your politics, can draw your own ending.

Other commentators have said Sally should have gotten an Emmy, and she probably would have gotten one, but again politics can be blamed. The left-wingers of Hollywood wouldn't have given her an award, because "we wouldn't want people to get ideas." That's how I see it.

This movie is a good argument against gun control. It's hard watching an actress we grew up with (Sally Struthers) being humiliated by home invaders. Sally should have won an emmy for her performance in this flick. She goes through all the emotions as she is arrested for shooting one of the scumbags who breaks into her house. This movie proves that most District Attorney's have their head up their @#$ !!!

The ending does provide some satisfaction, I won't elaborate on details, just sit back and watch and enjoy old time entertainment that doesn't rely on computer-generated action, just plain ole' good acting.