Review of Ms .45

Ms .45 (1981)
8/10
The best of its subgenre.
7 April 2005
After leaving work, a lonely mute New Yorker is raped twice in one afternoon. She manages to fight back against the second rapist and kills him with his own gun. She is traumatized and chops up his body and sticks it in the fridge. She tells no one, and is unable to cope with what happened. Soon, she's finding empowerment by using the gun to dispose of any man that may potentially take advantage of her or other women.

I am not a fan of the rape/revenge genre, but this compelling film miraculously manages to avoid exploitation on nearly every level. The rape scenes are disturbing but fortunately not as explicit as in many genre movies. While the content of "Ms. 45" is obviously over-the-top and exaggerated, it manages to retain a sense of dignity that rises above tacky movies like "Baise Moi" and "I Spit on Your Grave." Zoe Lund is incredible as the lead actress, depending on her versatile facial expressions to portray what mental state the character is in.

My Rating: 7.5/10.
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