TITLE: Ms. 45

RELEASE DATE
:  1981

RATED: R

REVIEWED BY
:  The DarkSider
THE PLOT: There seemed to have been a point in 70s and 80s cinema where the common folk took the law into their own hands.  Thats right folks, no more talking about feelings; rather just a bunch of bullets ripping through potential perp's bodies.  Ms. 45 is one of those lesser known films that really deserve it's place in the  urban vigilante genre.

Director Abel Ferrara tells us the tale of Thana, a mute seamstress in the big city whos life seems to go in the sh*tter one day on the way home from work.  She gets pulled into an alley and is sexually assaulted by a dude with a mask.  This would be Ferrara in a rather creative cameo.

That same day when she gets home, she notices her house has been broken into and the burglar is still there.  When that fellow tries a little unwanted in/out action of his own at gunpoint, Thana gets a little miffed.  She takes an iron to the guy's head killing him instantly.  She takes his gun, which as you can tell from the title comes into use later.

So whats a twenty-something girl supposed to do with a corpse in her bathroom? Thana gets out the butcher knifes and give the assailant a Ralphie Cifaretto special.  (Kudos to Sopranos fans who got that reference.)  She stores the body parts in the fridge and resumes every day life.  Aka getting rid of the corpse in city trash cans in between working and home life.

On one of her corpse dumping runs, some guy notes that Thana dropped a bag.  Hoping that returning the bag will result in a piece of ass, the guy runs the bag back to her only to get a bullet in the brain by a panic-educed Thana.  Thana goes home to vomit after killing the gent. Why you ask, well becoming an unsympathetic urban vigilante is something that needs a little practice.

Several of the supporting characters in the film note a change in Thana.  The most prominent being her boss Albert and her nosey land lady.  The effeminate (hes a fashion designer, guess that goes without saying) Albert  pulls her aside to ask her why she isn't doing well at work. Thana agrees she'll do better and agrees to Albert's invitation to a Halloween costume party.

On a lunch break with her colleagues, Thana spies a man making out with a woman in the restaurant.  The man comes over to their table and Thana's work buddy Lorrie tells the guy to f*ck off in so many words.

All the ladies go back to work except for Thana who is followed by the guy from the restaurant.  After pressuring himself on her repeatedly, Thana agrees to go back to his apartment.  When she gets there she puts him out to pasture.

Cue the birth of the film's title character.  Thana gets all dolled up and heads out to take on the street.  First she spots a pimp b*tch slapping a ho...
BLAM!

Next she gets surrounded by a gang of thugs...
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Next she gets mistaken for a prostitute by a wealthy Sheik and his limo driver...
BLAM! BLAM!

Well after a night such as this, Thana goes back to work to receive more of a tongue lashing from Albert.  However, he does invite her as a date to the Halloween bash.

That evening, Thana heads out for another night of homicidal fun.  After a failed attempt on a China man, she ends up hanging out with a guy in a bar.  He spins a yarn about his wife cheated on him.  Thana seems to sympathize with him all up until he tells her that he strangled his wife's cat...that bastard.

Thana whips out the gun one more time only to have it misfire. In a bit of an oddity, the man takes the gun away to shoot himself. Easy enough...anyhow Thana goes home once again and notes her land lady (who is oddly reminiscent of an older Stevie Nicks) snooping around with her dog.

Thana takes the dog, who happened to take a liking to the refrigerator with the corpse parts in it, out for a walk. In an amusing bit, Thana tries desperately to get the dog run over by traffic.  Eventually she takes the dog out to the pier and presumably kills it.

Moving on to the party, Thana dresses up as a nun and heads out with Albert.  During the party, Thana's land lady discovers the severed head of the burglar.  She calls the cops who come in to investigate.

Meanwhile at the big bash, a rather horrid band plays while people do the white guy boogie to the music.  Thana's madness comes full circle when Albert tries to seduce her at the party.  She livens up the party a bit by blowing away anyone with a penis.

Lorrie puts an end to the tirade by stabbing Thana in the back with a knife. The film innocently enough ends with the land lady's dog coming back home much like Lassie.  Apparently killing little marmots wasn't in Thana's busy schedule.

Ms. 45 is a brilliantly done gritty and dark film.  The flick is filled with interesting metaphors all of which are too many to list here.  However, it is with the help of these metaphors that the film keeps a serious social commentary going.  Much unlike several sexual assault/revenge films that were made for crass exploitation (I Spit On Your Grave comes to mind).

Much in the vein of a Taxi Driver or Death Wish, one can not help but root for the anti-hero's violent deeds in the film.  Thana did not ask to become a vigilante but rather it was society who put her there.

On a side note, the film isn't all sociology class.  Rather it has a hilarious dark sense of humor most horror fans would find enthralling.  Particularly the scenes where Thana disposes of the burglar's corpse and when Thana takes the dog for a walk.

Ms. 45 truly is a lesser known film that has garnished a cult following.  If you want to disagree with that, go tell Ms. 45 herself.
IT�S THE INNARDS THAT COUNT (most gruesome/odd moments)
1.)
Pieces Of Me - Thana eliminates her burglar buddy by disposing him throughout town in trash bags.  Hefty should have paid up royalties to this film.
YOU'RE A GRAND OLD A-HOLE (the A-Holes of the film get their moment)
1.)
Men - These fellows pust Ms. 45 to the limit causing a huge masacre by the end of the film.  Finding the next Mr. 45 can be both a demanding and physical labor. 
OVERALL GRADE
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