L'ange de la vengeance

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.

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.

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.

This early Abel Ferrara effort fits into the rape revenge tradition. Nonetheless it's far more interesting than most films of its type, and certainly far better overall than the vast majority of them. In fact, perhaps it is THE very best of them all. Definitely worth a watch if you're interested in these kinds of films even just a little. As far as gritty vigilante films go, this is definitely in the upper echelon. The more I watch this film, the more I appreciate it. There are many things to enjoy within it. Even some very funny moments. There is great artistic vision shown here from both the director and writer. Far more than you'd normally see in these types of films. Even if you notice the way the film is shot, it's quite great. It really is a beautifully crafted film in many ways, despite the dark and grimy themes and atmosphere. I remember the first time I ever saw this was with an old girlfriend, and after the film she said, "Well that was cute.". Warning: Your companion may not feel the same.

8/10.

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.