Deep in the Heart

This is a very worrying and concerned look at US gun control, or rather the lack of it. Written and directed by Tony Garnett, there is never any doubt that this is going to be a passionate and personal statement. Indeed at first it seemed that it was going to be too determined and well intentioned to work properly as a film but was i proved wrong? Believe it or not this almost documentary like film ends up being a rape and revenge movie. Without, I hasten to add any exploitation elements, which isn'y yo say that it is not harrowing. The rape sequence despite not being sexually explicit, has to have been the hardest to watch that I have encountered and made all the more difficult because the perpetrator, an attorney, is taking great care throughout to ensure that it is all her fault. Karen Young gives an astonishing performance, convincing as a very young and nervous child like person at the start before she converts into her role as woman of vengeance. All I can really fault the film for is some of the visuals are a little lacking in depth or imagination, the cinematography gives this the look of a TV movie and whilst it may have been so intended and get a realistic look, I think this was a mistake. That aside it is faultless and a very worthwhile watch.

I was really deceived by this woke before its time movie, which I expected in the line of Neil Jordan's THE BRAVE ONE, starring a Jodie Foster more or less in the same kind of lead female character. This one is a piece of junk - not sh...though - talkative, very slow to begin, and finally lousy, cheesy. With some good scenes however, such as the shooting walk practice; I appreciated. Yes, this is purely WOKE before its time. Now in 2023, this kind of plot is very usual. But in the early eighties, it was a bit the heir of the vigilante fashion that emerged in the seventies. Bad acting and lame directing. Forget it.

A teacher in Texas (Karen Young) learns how to use a gun in order to take revenge against the lawyer (Clayton Day) who raped her in British director Tony Garnett's American film debut. EMI Films funded this slow, thoughtful, and considered character study that criticizes American gun culture but refused to release it as they were expecting a commercial action movie with some sexy rape scenes. Like the director's previous film, Prostitute, you could be mistaken for thinking you were watching a documentary rather than a film, and this is certainly not your standard exploitation revenge thriller that Hollywood regularly churned out, especially coming from an era when movies like I Spit On Your Grave were rife. Garnett used a mix of unknown actors and non-professionals in key roles and operated right at the apex of contemporary social issues, upholding the traditions of the utterly authentic, socially aware films he produced with Ken Loach in Britain during the '60s and '70s. He sold the film to Warner Bros who just sat on it as they were producing a Clint Eastwood rape and revenge film at the same time and didn't want the competition. It opened in just a few theatres before being pulled and was a Box Office flop.

I absolutely love this film, I saw it first when it was first released and found its message both powerful and thought provoking. The way the film was made was how any of us would react if we had been that girl that we wanted justice and sometimes although its not always right its the only way to get it. Brilliant performances from both the main actors which give credence to the film. It does start of slowly but that is to get you used to the characters in the movie but when it kicks in it does so with a bang and I actually found my anger growing and my belief in justice coming out. This film will hit a raw nerve within you if it doesn't your a robot. This is for sure a movie to see before you die.

I remember back in the early 80's when home video was an exciting new concept, seeing a brochure from a local video rental store which featured a bunch of alluring looking movies, in amongst titles like Pia Zadora's Butterfly (1982) (yes, it is amazing what you can remember) was an interesting film called Handgun. The brief synopsis made it sound like an adult and challenging feature, i.e. something that I as a kid wanted to see! So it was strange for me to realise when I saw it for the first time just recently on a cable channel that it was in fact a very obscure movie. It seems to have not gotten too far beyond its home video release back in the 80's before more or less vanishing from sight. Well this seems like a criminal situation, as unlike a lot of movies I have anticipated seeing for many years, this one turned out to be an excellent and intelligent dramatic thriller. It follows a young woman who is a free-thinking teacher who begins a relationship with a charming gun-lover; on their second date he rapes her at gun point. She decides to turn the tables on him by learning to also become a crack shot with a handgun and with this new found skill she plans her revenge.

This definitely qualifies as one of the more intelligent rape-revenge thrillers out there. Part of its message is a criticism of American gun culture which seems more and more pertinent as each year goes by and another mass shooting happens in the name of gun ownership. Karen Young is excellent in the lead role and travels a wide arc of emotion in this one. She is very easy to get behind - let's be honest if you are not on her side in this movie, chances are you are a sociopath! Anyway, I am very pleased that this one is now doing the rounds on cable here in the UK as it certainly deserves to be re-discovered as it should never have become forgotten in the first place. A first rate thriller in my personal opinion.