After being raped twice in the same afternoon, a mute seamstress in one of New York's fashion houses (Zoe Lund), obtains a 45 caliber pistol with which she metes out justice on any future potential threat from the city's sex-obsessed male population. They all seem to be standing around on corners hustling her as she passes by. But that's not really the character of this film so much as the transformation Lund's character undergoes from meek mute to sympathetic while utterly ruthless serial killer, from prey to predator, which reaches its apex when she arrives at a Halloween party that concludes the film dressed as a sexy nun with her 45 strapped to her leg. By this point the body count has risen substantially, accompanied by an other-worldly lounge jazz film score, with each victim drawn out just enough to show his sleaziest side by the great director Abel Ferrara, of whom this film must be considered among his absolute best efforts.

"Ms .45" is an American movie from 1981, so this one had its 35th anniversary last year. The director is Abel Ferrara and he is probably somewhat known, certainly more known than screen play writer Nicholas St. John and at least as much as lead actress Zoë Lund in her very first performance. She plays the title character, a woman who gets raped early on in the movie and from that moment on goes on revenge path against men and keeps shooting everybody who gets in front of her and slightly does not act like a perfect gentleman. That's the whole story and while I felt that the film started off relatively solid, it gets uninteresting quickly and I must say it never recovers from that during its 80 minutes runtime. Quite a shame as I know Ferrara can do better than that. You may decide for yourself if you see this as a feminist, androgynist, sexist movie or none of these. One thing that is for sure though is how absolutely stunning and beautiful Lund looks in here. She had me glued to the screen and even if her acting is probably not on par with her looks, it was still a bearable watch mostly thanks to her. With another lead actress, it would have been an even weaker movie. The film hits rock-bottom probably when they show her in that nun costume and at that point it has a bit of a Jess Franco aura to it already and there is not that much quality anymore, if any at all. Lund is of course the most known cast member, unless you count Ferrara's cameo. Still, it makes me sad to see she died so early and with what her thought on drugs were. But she left us this film here, or maybe I should say "her performance" and the looks on her tremendous body as the film itself is just not good unfortunately. I have to give it a thumbs-down. Nothing worth seeing beyond Lund.

Maybe they couldn't think of something to add into the plot, which is a bit skimpy? The basic theme is great, ie, disadvantaged female gets even with creeps who deserve a good slapping. And does she deliver!A superb performance from Zoe Lund (aka Tamerlis), who doesn't say a word, but manages to say truck-loads just by the looks she gives.But then it seems to go on a bit without really saying (!) much or achieving much. A pity, and I would have liked a better ending.Others in the cast, and the director and producers combine to deliver and interesting, and different movie. One that could have been better. I've given it a 7, and will happily watch it again.

Ms. 45 (1981): Dir: Abel Ferrara / Cast: Zoe Tamerlis Lund, Editta Sherman, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto, S. Edward Singer: Gripping and tense thriller about identity. The beautiful Zoe Tamerlis Lund plays a mute seamstress named Thana who is raped twice within the first ten minutes of the film. She kills her second attacker in her apartment with an iron. She then proceeds to butcher the body in her bathtub, which she distributes in shopping bags throughout the city. She seizes the pistol from her second attacker and goes from a paranoid victim to a full on man hunter, stalking the streets at night, dressed to seduce and cutting loose on any males who possess an abusive nature, including a well crafted scene where she is encircled by a gang. Director Abel Ferrara improves greatly after the horrible Driller Killer. He makes great use of New York locations as well as deliver a rousing climax at a Halloween party. Questions arise as to where all the bullets are coming from, and perhaps more on the police investigation would have added. Lund is exquisitely stunning going from violated to vigilante. Appealing supporting work from Albert Sinkys as Thana's boss, Editta Sherman as her nosy senile landlady, Darlene Stuto as the outspoken profane co-worker, and S. Edward Singer as a sleazy photographer. Chilling view of crimes that target women who have no voice to speak out until the crime is turned upon itself. Score: 9 / 10