← Back to Reviews
in
Ms.45 aka Angel of Vengeance (Abel Ferrarra 1981) +
I'd only ever seen the heavily cut (by a massive 1 minute and 42 seconds) UK version of this movie entitled Angel Of Vengeance. US prints run a little longer on dvd but are still nevertheless slightly cut. The only complete version of the film is the French dvd release entitled L'ange De La Vengeance; naturally it's become highly sought after and regularly exchanges hands for silly money on the internet. Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on a dvd-r copy of the French release allowing me to finally see this cult gem as Ferrarra originally intended.
The story is about Thana (the late* Zoë Lund billed as Zoë Tamerlis here) an incredibly beautiful mute girl who works as a seamstress for a successful New York fashion designer. On her way home from work one evening Thana is dragged into an alleyway and raped by an opportunistic masked attacker. Deeply traumatized she stumbles back to her apartment, only to be met with an intruder there, who at gunpoint, rapes her for a second time. Desensitized by such violent misfortune she fights back, managing to bludgeon the man to death with a paper weight. Taking his pistol, a disturbed Thana begins a one woman crime-wave systematically murdering would be rapists, pimps, and ultimately any man who even looks in her direction.
This is quite possibly the best 'rape-revenge' exploitation flick I've ever seen; it easily rises above such depraved efforts as Wes Craven's The Last House On The Left, and Meir Zarchi's 1978 crapfest I Spit On Your Grave (which granted wouldn't be very hard). I'm actually reminded more of Roman Polanski's classic 1965 horror Repulsion when I watch this. There are indeed huge similarities between Deneuve's near mute, prudish, emotionally detached Carole, and Lund's vulnerable, shy mute Thana; It's merely their separate descents into madness that differ.
Much of the success of this film lies in Ferrarra's decision to make his protagonist a mute which is inspired rather than compensation for limited acting ability. Lund is sensational as Thana with her incredible expressive features perfectly conveying terror, despair, resignation, and ultimately an unhinged ruthless disregard for human (correction, male) life. The rape sequences whilst never pleasant are also remarkably restrained for this type of fare, with Ferrarra nearly always keeping the camera fixed on Lund's amazing facial expressions. As a result her transformation from timid beauty to insane femme fatale always feels convincing, even if the setup is a little contrived. Ultimately you care a great deal about Thana, not just because of her misfortune and Lund's beauty, but because Ferrarra's savvy direction effectively puts you in her shoes.
Ms. 45 may be basic and somewhat shallow with a cynical exploitative premise, but it's also a tightly scripted, fast paced, entertaining thriller. There's certainly plenty of satisfaction to be had from seeing Thana casually dispatch misogynistic scumbags who completely deserve it (and a few that don't). Undoubtedly though what makes Ms.45 so memorable is the high degree of style with which she does it. Recommended.
* Zoë Lund, a firm advocate of herion use sadly passed away in 1999 from drug-related heart failure.
Ms.45 aka Angel of Vengeance (Abel Ferrarra 1981) +
I'd only ever seen the heavily cut (by a massive 1 minute and 42 seconds) UK version of this movie entitled Angel Of Vengeance. US prints run a little longer on dvd but are still nevertheless slightly cut. The only complete version of the film is the French dvd release entitled L'ange De La Vengeance; naturally it's become highly sought after and regularly exchanges hands for silly money on the internet. Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on a dvd-r copy of the French release allowing me to finally see this cult gem as Ferrarra originally intended.
The story is about Thana (the late* Zoë Lund billed as Zoë Tamerlis here) an incredibly beautiful mute girl who works as a seamstress for a successful New York fashion designer. On her way home from work one evening Thana is dragged into an alleyway and raped by an opportunistic masked attacker. Deeply traumatized she stumbles back to her apartment, only to be met with an intruder there, who at gunpoint, rapes her for a second time. Desensitized by such violent misfortune she fights back, managing to bludgeon the man to death with a paper weight. Taking his pistol, a disturbed Thana begins a one woman crime-wave systematically murdering would be rapists, pimps, and ultimately any man who even looks in her direction.
This is quite possibly the best 'rape-revenge' exploitation flick I've ever seen; it easily rises above such depraved efforts as Wes Craven's The Last House On The Left, and Meir Zarchi's 1978 crapfest I Spit On Your Grave (which granted wouldn't be very hard). I'm actually reminded more of Roman Polanski's classic 1965 horror Repulsion when I watch this. There are indeed huge similarities between Deneuve's near mute, prudish, emotionally detached Carole, and Lund's vulnerable, shy mute Thana; It's merely their separate descents into madness that differ.
Much of the success of this film lies in Ferrarra's decision to make his protagonist a mute which is inspired rather than compensation for limited acting ability. Lund is sensational as Thana with her incredible expressive features perfectly conveying terror, despair, resignation, and ultimately an unhinged ruthless disregard for human (correction, male) life. The rape sequences whilst never pleasant are also remarkably restrained for this type of fare, with Ferrarra nearly always keeping the camera fixed on Lund's amazing facial expressions. As a result her transformation from timid beauty to insane femme fatale always feels convincing, even if the setup is a little contrived. Ultimately you care a great deal about Thana, not just because of her misfortune and Lund's beauty, but because Ferrarra's savvy direction effectively puts you in her shoes. Ms. 45 may be basic and somewhat shallow with a cynical exploitative premise, but it's also a tightly scripted, fast paced, entertaining thriller. There's certainly plenty of satisfaction to be had from seeing Thana casually dispatch misogynistic scumbags who completely deserve it (and a few that don't). Undoubtedly though what makes Ms.45 so memorable is the high degree of style with which she does it. Recommended.
* Zoë Lund, a firm advocate of herion use sadly passed away in 1999 from drug-related heart failure.