User reviews

...was the musician who was able to make saxophone sounds come out of a trumpet.

Thana (not Hannah as one might mistake to hear) hasn't had a good lot in life. She doesn't have really any family or friends, she works for pittance as a clothing workshop, and can't speak as a mute. She's also very attractive, and one day walking home she's pulled into an alley and raped by a man in a mask. She staggers home, bewildered by the whole thing, but before she can get her bearings she comes upon *another* man, in her apartment before she got home, who was in the midst of theft. He instead decides to go ahead for the rape. Twice in one day? Fat chance of that - she finally takes her moment, and Thana hits the guy to the ground and then with an iron kills him.

From then on the film takes its beat as something of a quandary, but a truly fascinating one: this isn't quite an exploitation flick, but it's not really a vigilante action-revenge picture like Death Wish, and yet it has hints of both. It's like Abel Ferrara and his writer St. John took the revenge element of Death Wish, of taking it to the street to rid the scum, but took it also to another level like in Polanski's Repulsion. Here Thana isn't some expert at self-defense, and shouldn't be as good as she is with the .45 she pulls off of the rapist #2. But she is good at getting her chance to kill people, and she does, even if they haven't really done anything to her (one of the more curiously ambiguous scenes is when Thana meets a guy at a bar, he keeps rambling outside about strangling his cat, she's about to shoot and it doesn't fire, he takes the gun and instead of shooting her shoots himself)

True, not all of the acting Ferrara is able to gather up totally works; some of them, like two actors playing a pimp and a prostitute (even for one scene) falls flat as believable streetwise (better is Thana's boss, a creep who wants to have his way with her but hides it under a thin veneer of professionalism and care). And it may also be true that Ferrara's film paints men- hell, just most people- as jerks or losers or total dogs, and really who will miss them when they're gone? It's that part of it that makes it an exploitation flick, especially in that one sequence at night when Thana goes out and kills the most amount of people (a whole group of gang-bangers in the park, an Arab and his chauffeur in a limo, the cat strangler). And as part of tugging at the weakest of heart strings, there's a neighbor who has a little dog and (gasp) will the dog make it through the end of the film?

A lot of this is pulp, but it's well directed and given a score that is fresh and cool in an early NY 80's sort of way. And when we do take it most seriously it's when looking right into Thana's face and her eyes, which start off terrified and dazed and a little in a surreal mindset (watch when she is surrounded by (over) concerned co-workers, or when she's in the bathroom and sees a hand near her breast that isn't there), and soon turns cold and bloodless. It's almost a symbolic kind of turn, hence even the name Thana which dates back to Greek mythology. This isn't someone to root for, which is what mucks up the traditional angle of a B-movie. Instead Ferrara is after something a lot deeper. Ms. 45 is action and a bit of horror (dismembered body anyone?) but it's also a sad tale of a girl without any hope, who is going crazier by the day and dresses out in black like a spider out on the prowl.

It's got some bad-ass dimensions of drama, and a rather wicked climax involving slow-motion and Ms. 45 herself going in her maniac mode in a nun costume, and is mostly marred by a few sub-par supporting performances (albeit a very low-budget indie from NYC) and a few little unsatisfying scenes.

After leaving work, a lonely mute New Yorker is raped twice in one afternoon. She manages to fight back against the second rapist and kills him with his own gun. She is traumatized and chops up his body and sticks it in the fridge. She tells no one, and is unable to cope with what happened. Soon, she's finding empowerment by using the gun to dispose of any man that may potentially take advantage of her or other women.

I am not a fan of the rape/revenge genre, but this compelling film miraculously manages to avoid exploitation on nearly every level. The rape scenes are disturbing but fortunately not as explicit as in many genre movies. While the content of "Ms. 45" is obviously over-the-top and exaggerated, it manages to retain a sense of dignity that rises above tacky movies like "Baise Moi" and "I Spit on Your Grave." Zoe Lund is incredible as the lead actress, depending on her versatile facial expressions to portray what mental state the character is in.

My Rating: 7.5/10.

The 1970s were THE decade for American exploitation movies with the likes of Roger Corman, Jack Hill, and Larry Cohen Jr creating some of the most entertaining trash ever made. For the most part the 1980s were a big let down in this department. Porkys-like sex comedies and awful buddy action movies and the like generally failed to reach the heights of the glory days of A.I.P. There were a few exceptions ('Chained Heat', 'Maniac' and 'The Exterminator' immediately spring to mind), and 'Ms.45 ' (a.k.a. 'Angel Of Vengeance') is in my mind THE single best exploitation movie of the decade. Abel Ferrara, who later made brilliant movies like 'Bad Lieutenant' and 'The Funeral', had previously made a porno movie and the infamous "video nasty" 'The Driller Killer' before this, which could well be the best rape revenge movie ever made. Ferrara's genius touch was the casting of the late Zoe Tamerlis. She is stunningly beautiful and her face is very expressive. Making her character mute makes the movie an unforgettable experience. It's really difficult trying to "sell" this stunning movie to someone. You'll either love it or you just won't "get it". I think it works very well as a post-'Death Wish' vigilante movie, but just as 'The Driller Killer' is more than "just" a slasher, this movie has a lot more to it, and that is almost completely down to Zoe Tamerlis. 'Ms. 45' might be b-grade trash to many, but it is uncompromised, something you very rarely see these days. I think it stands alongside 'Repo Man', 'Videodrome', 'Blue Velvet', 'The Evil Dead', 'The Ninth Configuration', 'Raising Arizona' and 'The King Of Comedy' as one of the most extraordinary movies released in a decade dominated by mediocre popcorn movies forced on viewers by Spielberg, Lucas, Hughes, Bruckheimer and Simpson.

A rape revenge film that earns the "exploitation" tag that often accompanies the genre. While the theme was already pretty low hanging fruit at the time of it's release, this movie opts to set itself apart by focusing on the declining mental state post trauma. The resulting downward spiral is as captivating as it is gratuitous.

A shy and mute seamstress (Zoe Lund) 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.

The director, Abel Ferrara, who would go on to make other genre films, with this one featuring a cast of people you likely never heard of performing just as well as "real" stars would. Ferrara himself appears under another name as a rapist, and Steve Dash also appears under another name, though Dash is hardly a notable figure.

The eerie music is reminiscent of Italian horror, which struck me as beautiful and perfect for such a film. Really, this is a very slick production and a much more enjoyable film than "I Spit on Your Grave". While "Grave" is the best known of the revenge films, and the one that really started the subgenre, this one just looks better. With all due respect to Meir Zarchi and Camille Keaton, this one should get more praise than it does.

I love that the insult "get bent" is used... its employment is not nearly often enough these days. I also appreciated the free advertising for the P. Chimento trucking company of Patchogue, New York. This, more than anything else, really shows that the film was made in New York City, as anyone from outside the area will have no idea what it is.

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. Was this intentional? I have no idea. But it is fitting.

Ms. 45 (1981) was an interesting view on the revenge flicks that were popular during the mid 70's to the early 80's. Abel Ferrara and his co-conspirator Nicholas St. John follow the life of a mute dress worker (Zoe Lund) who snaps one day after being raped twice. She kills her last attacker and keeps his gun. After seeing the grim world around her and the loss of her mental faculties, she decides to do a hunting.

A strange but highly enjoyable film that takes exploitation films to a whole new level. The gritty direction by Abel Ferrara and the smart writing from Nicholas St. John elevate this movie above most of the trash that was produced during this time period. The star, Zoe Lund posses some unearthly beauty and she has that certain stuff to make the material work. Not many other actresses could have pulled this off but she some how manages to.

If you can find an uncut version of this movie I advise you to go out and get it. This is one of the best vigilante movies you'll ever watch. I have to highly recommend this film. It's Abel Ferrara doing what he does best. Street level film making!

Step 1: Watch Ms .45

Step2: Read the Wikipedia page for Zoe Lund

Step 3: Watch Ms .45 again, now that you know a little about her. Amazing.

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1 Casting - 1/1 Directing - 1/1 Story - 1/1 Writing/Screenplay - 1/1

Total Base Score = 5

Modifiers (+ or -) Originality: 1 Standout Performances: 1 ( Zoe Lund )

Total RealReview Rating: 7

The kind of plot that had everything to succeed but falls short of ideas and gives us less than nothing instead. A young mute woman (Zoë Lund) goes on a rampage of murdering men in the streets of New York after being victim sexually assaulted twice in a matter of minutes. At first, her victims are one of her rapists, misandrists, exploiters, pimps and men of whom women wouldn't want to get near but then after being addicted with all those killings she believes all men are evil and decides take down everyone she meets or gives her a cat-call.

This is a little better than the exploitation and gigantic waste of celluloid "I Spit on your Grave", because it's real, there's believable situations in this film. But the writer/director wants to leave this woman in the silence, and we're not even able to hear her inner thoughts and sympathize with her is very difficult, specially when she no longer can distinguish bad from good. "Sudden Impact" still remains the only good film with a similar theme but there was a good guy tracking down the female victim who decided to take revenge on her abusers, so Hollywood always messes up when it comes to leave a woman do the revenge by herself, only "Kill Bill" gets away.

"Ms. 45" isn't violent as it looks and it's only slightly impressive when she shoots all the guys - but we never know from where she got more and more bullets, and who gave her lessons on how to shoot (the scene in the park where she takes down a whole gang is amazing). And we're forced to bear with plenty of annoyance coming not only from the male chauvinist characters, but also from the main character's intrusive landlady and pretty much who appears in the film, not a single good character - oh yeah, there was one who tried to return her bag but then he got shot. One thing I don't get it: why a gay character (her boss at the shop clothes) is sexually interested on her? Who comes up with these ideas?

Here's a B movie poor of ideas and sequences only worthy because of some gorgeous cinematography. The rest? Strange acting, awful music cue whenever a gun is to be fired, a lousy excuse for a movie. Ferrara disappointing again although he gave a style to the movie that follows closely the main character's state of mind, a silent movie for the most scenes reaching terrifying levels with the sound of a .45 in the dark of night. "Death Wish" kind of movie, social commentaries on male's indecent behavior? Please, there's greater movies out there on the same topic. But in the end, here's another wake up call to all the guys who think themselves really big when they're next to women. Watch out, she may have a gun... 5/10

My spoiler free review for The Bloody Asylum that can be found at WordPress, Mr Geeky blog:

Abel Ferrara had by 1980 directed two feature films, The Driller Killer being the most well known of these, also banned as one of the most notorious of the video nasties in the UK in the 1980's. This was followed by Ms .45 released in 1981. A masterpiece containing one of the unsung great performances of all-time. On the surface a seemingly generic rape revenge exploitation film, but actually containing far more depth and complexity than any of the other rape revenge films released in the 1970's and 1980's, such as I Spit on Your Grave. Those expecting an exploitation film will be very surprised by its complexity and depth.

Ms .45 is quite possibly the definitive rape revenge film, setting the template for every film of the genre that came after, its influence still being felt now. Recently inspiring Corale Faragat's 2018 film Revenge.

Ms .45 is considered by some to be a feminist revenge film, but it transcends that. Anchored by an incredible lead performance by Zoe Tamerlis Lund, unbelievably only 17 years old at the time of filming. Abel Ferrara said that as soon as he first met her he knew he had found the right actor, and that it was her auditioning him rather than the other way round. She would further show the depth of her talent by eventually going on to co-write Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant. A film she said was the most personal of those she made.

Ms .45 may have be written by a man and directed by a man but its female perspective according to director Abel Ferrara came from Zoe Lund herself and her portrayal of the lead character Thana. It is as much her film as it is Abel Ferrara and the writer Nicholas St. John. Possibly why she maintained that she felt she directed it.

An almost character study, exploring the effects of traumatic events on a person, inspired by Taxi Driver, Death Wish, and Thriller: A Cruel Picture (They Call Her One Eye). Those inspirations do not even come close to describing it and any synopsis really does not do it justice at all. Sharing the feel of these films, but more so the psychological complexity of Taxi Driver. What makes it more than just an exploitation film is first and foremost Zoe Lund's unbelievably trans-formative, nuanced and extremely captivating performance as the film moves towards its shocking climax. Made all the more impressive as her character is mute and has no internal dialogue as a voice over. Her every expression and gesture conveying all the aspects of her character's feelings and emotions. A sublime performance complimented by some really impressive performances from the supporting cast. Abel Ferrara's direction is superb, aided by the beautiful grimy cinematography, pitch perfect editing, and a very avant-garde musical score. A film absolutely full of nuances that are revealed more with repeated viewings.

There is an added poignancy watching the film knowing that Zoe Lund died at the very young age of 37. Ms .45 is a lasting testament to her talent as a unique and naturally gifted actress. Alongside Bad Lieutenant she left a remarkable and extremely influential legacy.

Ms .45 is a film that nearly 40 years after its original release is still as powerful and disturbing as it ever was.

In Manhattaan, the mute seamstress Thana (Zoë Tamerlis) is a timid woman that works in the fashion industry and spends most of her idle time at home. One night, she is raped in an alley while going back home after hours and when she arrives at home, she is raped again by another criminal. However, she reacts and kills the assaulter with a flatiron. The disturbed Thana loses her sanity and uses the rapist pistol to kill men on the streets of New York.

"Angel of Vengeance" is a cult-movie by Abel Ferrara with elements of "Death Wish" when a simple woman goes insane after being raped twice in one day and she uses the criminal's gun to kill every man that makes a pass on her. I have just watched this film for the fourth or fifth time on VHS and it has not aged. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sedução e Vingança" ("Seduction and Revenge")

Note: On 12 May 2017, I saw this film again.

This film has been called a feminist fantasy; feminism was in its second wave when it was released, the misnamed women's liberation. The fact that it came from the sick mind of a man tends to refute this claim, nor is it a rape revenge fantasy like the slightly earlier "I Spit On Your Grave" because murdering innocent people, even men, is not revenge but psychopathy.

Our doomed angel is a young, attractive mute named Thana. She lives alone, which is strange, because a woman who is both attractive and alluringly silent would surely be snapped up by a local alpha male in short order. The nightmare begins when she is attacked on the way home and raped. When she recovers, she goes home; the sensible thing would be to go to the nearest police station or better still hospital as there is no point in her dialling 9-1-1. When she arrives home, she is raped again, by a burglar. Please, no allusions to that famous Oscar Wilde quote, both rapes were real.

The first rapist had a gun, so did the second one. Unfortunately for him, Thana had a blunt instrument, and after whacking him with it, she picked up a flat iron (from her work) and caved in his skull with it. Now please girl, get someone to dial 9-1-1, no one who matters will think ill of you when the truth comes out. Alas...

She drags the body into the bathroom and begins dismembering it. She also goes out with the burglar's gun and begins shooting men, not at random, but any who come on to her, which in view of her being young and so alluring, is many. Okay lady, you are no longer a victim, the abyss has long been starring back at you.

This slightly off-beat cult rubbish may titillate some, but the true story of the female lead is far more interesting, and tragic. Zoë Tamerlis, the future Zoë Lund, was only seventeen, and this was her first film. Although a college drop-out, she was a multi-talented individual, composing and writing music. She was also sadly a heroin addict; she died in 1999, aged just 37, but was such a fascinating creature that her estranged husband Robert set up a website about her which is maintained to this day.

This is one of those uniquely offbeat, low budget B grade productions that is actually very entertaining in its own, well . . . unique way.

Among some, this has become a sort of cult classic, and I can see why.

Is this for everyone? Possibly not, but in its own context of subject matter, story, aesthetic and quasi indie production style, this could easily be seen as one of those rare gems that just seems to have that right mix for an eclectic film experience.

The basic story is our lead character Thana, played by the astonishingly beautiful Zoe Lund, who works in a NYC garment district fashion sweat shop as her day job, and as part of that day job has to walk the daily gauntlet of leering and taunting male lowlifes, with the usual assortment of catcalls, "hey baby" one liners and all that. Her female sweat shop co-workers have thicker skin, flipping off the usual assortment of male taunting scumbags as part of their daily routine, but Thana is a bit more . . . sensitive.

Not to make light of the actual reality of sexual harassment, this is the extreme example of such lowlife BS inflicted upon women.

But final straw for Thana was getting raped, twice in the same day . . . that part of the film is genuinely painful to watch.

At which point, Thana, who manages to get a gun from the 2nd rapist, who she dispatched to the next world during said rape, decides she has a mission in this world, and embarks upon such with steely determination.

Of course, there have been numerous other films with this same basic story concept, Jodie Foster's "the Accused" perhaps being my favorite choice in this genre', but this particular production has it's own unique character which sets it apart from the others.

Yes, there is some gore (well, a lot of gore), but it's not in your face raw meat scenes, more like implied gore as a consequence of what's being portrayed, with a few vignettes worth noting (serving the ground up remains of her 2nd rapist to the nosy neighbor's dog being a memorable example thereof).

The entire aesthetic of this production is very 1980s NYC; grimy, gritty, attire, attitudes and settings of the time.

In any case, I'd say this is definitely worth checking out. The story goes a bit off the rails in the ending grand finale scenes, but even as over the top as such may be, it does seem to fit the overall ambiance in its own way.

Corny, low budget . . . and very entertaining, definitely 7 star material.

Zoe Lund (who was only 17 at the time of filming) plays Thana a mute woman who works in the garment district of NYC. When going home one day she's viciously raped. She stumbles home and finds a burglar in her apartment. He also rapes her but she kills him. She then gets his gun and goes out at night and kills all the men who try to attack her or other women. Then she starts killing men who have done nothing wrong.

Dark and depressing film. Filmed in the early 1980s on location in NYC it presents a very negative view of the city and its citizens. All the men are portrayed as scum that deserve what they get. Surprisingly this was written and directed by two men! It's tough stuff but you have to applaud a movie that doesn't hold back. Lund is terrific in her role (hard to believe she was only 17) and it's very well-directed by Abel Ferrara. LOVE how he stages the scene when Thana is stalked by four men in Central Park. There's actually not a lot of violence in the movie but what's there is pretty strong. This was not a big hit when it came out. It was too dark for most viewers. However it did well on the midnight movie circuit. It basically just disappeared (cable TV stations won't touch it) until it was reissued in a beautiful transfer on DVD a few years back. Dark and gritty but important.

Neneh Cherry already specifically stated in a song that this is a woman's world, so who are we to argue with that? Women RULE this world, whether they carry around .45 caliber guns or not… Infamous cult movie director Abel Ferrara's interpretation of feminism revolves on a mute and seemly defenseless young beauty that wipes male scum from the face of the earth with a pistol. After being the victim of assault and attempted rape TWICE in one afternoon, Thana kills her second assailant and chops up his corpse in the bathtub. Whilst getting rid of the bagged body parts, she randomly kills numerous other men on the trash-filled streets of New York. "Ms.45" has quite a lot in common with Ferrara's breakthrough film "the Driller Killer", except that it doesn't contain so many tedious moments and that you actually have sympathy for the Thana character, whereas Reno Miller could die instantly for all I cared. Strictly talking from a cinematic point of view, "Ms.45" is a much better film than "Driller Killer" as well. Ferrara manages to retain his depressing yet realistic portrait of dead-end New York, but the camera-work is much more steady and versatile. Zoë Lund, who remarkably looks like Nastassja Kinski, is a terrific anti-heroine and the fact she plays a mute even increases the complexity of her character. Lund later co-wrote "Bad Lieutenant" before sadly passing away at the young age of 37, due to heart failure. Unfortunately, however, "Ms.45" didn't stand the test of time very well. The graphic violence and definitely the controversy has been surpassed severely nowadays and I sincerely doubt that the new Playstation-generation will be impressed by Ferrara's take on the explicit revenge-flick trend. Luckily selected group of film buffs including myself still consider this to be a quintessential cult gem that'll live on forever. Kill 'em all, Thana!

A mute seamstress is attacked and raped twice on the same day. Her initial fear and anxiety soon turns to revenge, and she takes the law into her own hands, on the streets of New York, in a bloody crusade.

Ms .45 is a stylized tale of vigilantism. Zoë Tamerlis Lund does a convincing job, as the delicate mute Thana, turned killer.

A dark Ferrara classic.

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. 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?). 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 gets an almost-perfect 9/10 from me (it would've got a 10 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!).

Ultra-dark-and-violent-loving director Abel Ferrara's first film (this one) is, like a lot of his peers' first efforts: a low-budget affair but one that got him attention and jump-started his career.

The actors in here are nobodies and really not that good, particularly the landlady (Editta Sherman) who is so horrible an actress that she's interesting only because she's so inept. Zoe Tamerlis, who played the main character, is almost mesmerizing in her role even though she's a mute so we never hear her voice. She has a pretty face and gave us some effective facial expressions. Too bad she never made it as a star.

The story is strictly a female "Death Wish." A nice girl gets raped not once but twice within hours, snaps, and goes out on a killing spree. Pretty basic revenge on the lowest of levels but a satisfying film nonetheless and, at 80 minutes, breezes by. Definitely worth a look if you like these kind of low-budget revenge flicks.

Ms.45 is a low budget flick from cult director Abel Ferrara. We are back to the seedy streets of late 1970s/early 1980s New York where lurking in every corner are rapists, muggers and assorted bad guys.

Zoe Lund plays Thana, a mute seamstress in the garment district who gets raped twice in one day and slowly goes mad and goes hell bent on a revenge spree very much in the vein of Death Wish and The Exterminator.

The plain looking Thana transforms to a more erotic looking vixen as she actively seeks out men to punish, hence why she is Ms .45 because of her gun.

The climax of the movie is a fancy dress party where even men genuinely interested in Thana's well being are in danger as she loses all control.

The version of the film I saw had been cleaned up for Blu Ray, although the grimy New York of the time only got cleaned up by subsequent Mayors of the city who realised the value of the tourist dollars.

The film is rather raw, some of the acting is uneven. Zoe Lund is a marvel as the vulnerable Thana.

Abel Ferrara was well known in the early 1980s for his video nasties but that label is unfair to him. He really did make the best he could with meagre resources, genre films with a feminist bent.