Abel Ferrara · Navaron Films · Arrow Limited Edition 4K
★★⯪
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Note: This review contains spoilers
## Ms. 45, The Angel of Vengance
This movie was a total blind buy for me. I had never heard of it, nor did I know anything about it. I was sold mostly on the cover and the fact that many reviewers were praising the transfer. Part of me wishes I at least watched the trailer to get more of an idea of what the movie would be like since I thought it might go a different way.
The movie starts with Thana (Zoë Lund),a New York seamstress, walking home from work. She is suddenly raped by a masked man in an alleyway. Then, still traumatized from the assault, she is assaulted once again by a masked burglar that had been in her apartment. This time, she is able to smash the man's head in with a glass apple. Thana proceeds to chop up the burglar's body and takes his .45 caliber gun. Her nosy neighbor becomes suspicious of her, and tries to enter her apartment a few times to check out the scene. Thana becomes jumpy around men and ends up becoming a serial killer, killing men using the .45 gun she took off the burglar.
## What worked
Right off the bat, my favorite thing about this movie was Zoë Lund's performance. She totally owned the performance without uttering more than one word the entire movie. It was all in her eyes and expressions. The mood of the film was also pretty cool. The plot could have veered into comical territory but it always seemed to come right back into gritty realism. The cinematography was also solid. Director Abel Ferrara utilized many inventive and creative camera motions to keep the story engaging. Another big character in the movie was the city of New York as well, which was portrayed in a dirty grimy fashion, not unlike in Taxi Driver. It really added to the atmosphere and mood of the film.
## What didn't
However, the movie was not without its negatives. I felt that the character development was a bit lacking. While Lund's performance was really good, I felt that the writing didn't really do her character any favors. Most of the characters were flat and underdeveloped, especially the men Thana was killing. Exploitation films tend to be more about spectacle and less about substance. The story is a very engaging one for sure, it just felt too thin. The whole movie could have been 30 minutes long. It did feel at times like it dragged on.
## Verdict
I think I was just expecting something along the lines of Taxi Driver, but it ended up being a very well made exploitation film. I might give it another go some time in the future.
-TG
Thana: Sister!