[Editorial] Ms .45 (40 Years On) - (1981)

Ms .45 (1981), also known as Angel of Vengeance, examines a woman’s life shattered by rape and transformed into vigilantism. The film infuses the exploitation genre with meaning as the sleazy streets of New York City are the setting for a rape-revenge tale like no other.

Directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Nicholas St. John, the writer for several other Ferrara-directed films including Driller Killer (1979) and Body Snatchers (1993), Ms .45 not only still holds up forty years on but is also highly relevant in today’s #metoo culture. The low budget lends a gritty look and tone to the film which pairs perfectly with the subject matter. The score by Joe Delia, another long-time collaborator of Ferrara, emphasises the impact of the protagonist’s journey. 

Thana (Zoe Lund) works for a small fashion company in the garment district. She is shy and mute, and has a somewhat friendly relationship with her co-workers but is otherwise a rather solitary character. The seamstresses finish work and face catcalls as they walk down the street; an unavoidable barrage of predatory looks and sexual advances. She declines her co-workers’ offer of joining them to go out for drinks and takes the subway home. On her way, Thana takes a trip to the supermarket and selects an item from the meat section, mirroring how the men on the street view her and the other women. Then, before she reaches her apartment, she is dragged into an alley by a masked man who rapes her at gunpoint; the viewer witnessing the horror of the crime and Thana’s shock and bewilderment. 

Finally, she enters her apartment, locking the door behind her, safe in her own space only to find it has been invaded by a burglar and once again she is held at gunpoint and raped. Thana defends herself by hitting him with a red glass apple, a symbol evoking both Eve in the Garden of Eden and the Evil Queen from Snow White, then finishing him off with a bash from an iron. Unsure of what to do next, she drags the body to the bathroom and puts it in the bath. She also pockets the gun.

The following day she goes to work as usual and is struck with an idea of what to do with the body. On returning home she dismembers the corpse and packages it up in multiple pieces which she begins to dispose of around the city. On one such trip she is chased by a man who corners her in the dead end of an alley. Out of fear of what might happen next, Thana grabs the gun and shoots the would-be attacker. This marks a turning point for her as in this instance she is the one wielding the power.

Thana suffers from PTSD, haunted by visions of her rapist returning. She no longer feels safe anywhere as sheh at the mercy of everyone around her, on the streets, in the workplace and even at home where she receives uninvited visits from her nosy landlady. Unable to take the time to process the traumatic events she is forced to carry on with daily life, one day at work writing a heart-breaking note that says “I just wish they would leave me alone”.

Instead of breaking down, Thana decides to fight back. She takes to the streets to wipe out predators, potential rapists, any man who might try to take advantage of her or any other woman. Her actions go beyond revenge against her attackers. In this way Ms .45 differs from many other rape-revenge movies, such as The Last House on the Left (1972) and I Spit on Your Grave (1978), which focus on revenge against specific people. Thana is a one-woman crusader trying to protect not only herself but all women. If she were here today she would be firmly in the #yesallmen camp.

Embracing her feminine power, Thana accentuates her looks and figure to the degree that she is almost unrecognisable from her unassuming style at the start of the film. Luring men to their demise, her weapon is the .45 calibre pistol previously owned by her rapist; using the very thing that was used against her and turning the tables on future would-be attackers. Her experience tells her that men are only after one thing and will take it by force so in order to exert agency on the situation she has to resort to deadly measures in an effort to prevent the inevitable. 

The climax of the film takes place at a Halloween party with all the attendees in costume. The viewer watches Thana in her apartment getting ready, wearing her nun outfit and red lipstick, aiming her gun around the room and play-acting her plan for the night. Once at the party, Thana’s boss makes a move on her which gives her all the justification she needs to start shooting. The upbeat music gives way to distorted voices and noise as the scene plays out in chilling slow motion. 

As Thana aims the gun at the crowd her co-worker behind her grabs a knife, wielding it in front of her crotch like a penis and it is this very weapon being the one to take her down, echoing the masculine threat that triggered this whole chain of events. Recognising the assailant as her co-worker, Thana doesn’t retaliate but instead whispers the word “sister” as she falls to the floor. At this point the viewer knows that the police are trying to track her down in connection with the body parts found around the city so her vigilantism was bound to come to an end one way or another but her demise is both shocking and sad. 

Thana’s behaviour, while extreme, can be something of a cathartic experience for viewers who have been through similar experiences to the character. Anyone who has been catcalled, demeaned or assaulted in any kind of sexual manner could live vicariously through Thana’s actions and claim back their confidence and power on the back of her vengeance. While Thana’s battle came to an end, the fight against misogyny is still worth fighting.

Ms .45 is unquestionably still powerful and relevant today. While four decades have passed since its release, the daily sexism and misogyny that women face has not changed much. At a taut eighty minutes, the film is an uncompromising look at rape culture, revenge and feminism that is unique in its style and is highly deserving of a first time watch or a revisit today.

RELATED ARTICLES

---

---

EXPLORE

---

MORE ARTICLES

---

---