Overview: From Abel Ferrara, director of The Driller Killer and King of New York, comes a terrifying revenge-thriller in the tradition of Death Wish and Taxi Driver ... Ms .45 (aka Angel of Vengeance) will blow you away.

New York, 1980. Raped at gunpoint on her way home from work, mute seamstress Thana returns to the safety of her apartment only to be assaulted again by a burglar; but this time she fights back. Bludgeoning her assailant with an iron, she takes his gun and begins to dispose of the body piece by piece. Fueled by her trauma, Thana sees that sexual threat is everywhere in the city and decides to bring a .45 caliber solution to the problem.

A devastating depiction of sexual violence and female rage, with a stunning central performance from Zoë Lund (credited as Zoë Tamerlis), Ms .45 arrives on 4K UHD in a brand-new restoration that gives an extraordinary glimpse into the grimy glamour of New York in the 80’s and with all its controversial power intact.

Blu-ray Verdict: Despite initially looking like a routine revenge picture, Ms .45 is actually one of the more subversive pieces of cinema to emerge from the exploitation mill. The plot is uncomplicated. Thana, a mute garment worker, is raped and brutalized twice in one day. Though she offers no resistance to the first attack, she kills her second tormentor and uses his .45 caliber handgun to wreak vengeance on any man who subsequently crosses her.

Zoe Lund (RIP) delivers a truly seismic performance in the title role. She conveys a huge range of emotions without ever speaking, from terror to ice-cold fury. Conceptualizing her character as mute is a true stroke of genius as it perfectly captures the lack of a voice that many women experience in the brutal, male-dominated world that this film so scathingly attacks. Director Abel Ferrera’s central feminist thesis identifies female oppression and powerlessness as an incubator for uncontrollable rage.

This is illustrated by Thana’s violence escalating in conjunction with her appearing more traditionally beautiful and reaches its clearest articulation when she unleashes a bloodbath while dressed as a nun. Also noteworthy is the surprisingly accurate depiction of several symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that Thana is clearly afflicted with after her initial victimization.

In any event, Ms .45 is a knockout exploitation flick that provides plenty of thrills, and also a compelling portrait of the insatiable thirst for retribution that can unleashed in even the most superficially meek and timid of people. Though obviously low budget, this truly is a gem.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original 35mm camera negative
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of Rape Revenge Films: A Critical Study and Cultographies: Ms .45
The Voice of Violence, a new featurette with film critic BJ Colangelo
Where Dreams Go to Die, a new featurette with film critic Kat Ellinger
Archive interview with director Abel Ferrara
Archive interview with composer Joe Delia
Archive interview with creative consultant Jack McIntyre
Zoe XO, a 2004 short film directed by Paul Rachman
Zoe Rising, a 2011 short film directed by Paul Rachman
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde
Perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing by Robert Lund, previously unseen photographs of Zoë Lund, plus select archival material including writing by Kier-La Janisse and Brad Stevens
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde

Official Purchase Link

www.arrowvideo.com