Ms. 45 4K UHD Review

Arrow Video

4K UHD Release: October 28, 2025

Video: 1.85:1/2160p (HDR10/Dolby Vision)/Color

Audio: English LPCM 1.0 mono

Subtitles: English SDH

Run Time: 80:42

Director: Abel Ferrara

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 calibre solution to the problem. (From Arrow’s official synopsis)

For the record, I find myself extremely uncomfortable discussing movies that fall within the purview of the always controversial rape/revenge genre. Because I don’t really see it as my place to discuss the moral standards and gender politics of rape/revenge movies, for the most part, I try to avoid writing about them and haven’t covered them on the podcast. However, even the most contentious genres tend to produce at least a few outstanding, thoughtful, and/or compelling feature films. There are rape/revenge movies worth revisiting and Abel Ferrara’s sophomore (non-porn) feature, Ms. 45 (1981), is definitely one of them.

Unlike some of the other outstanding genre entries – Shunya Itô’s Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (Japanese: Joshū Nana-maru-ichi Gō / Sasori, 1972), Burt Kennedy’s Hannie Caulder (1971), or (arguably) Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs (1971), for example – Ms. 45 doesn’t obfuscate the essential structure of rape/revenge within the trappings of another genre (i.e., a yakuza story, gunslinger movie, or wider examination of masculinity). Instead, what makes it special is the fact that Ferrara balances the inherently exploitative nature of rape/revenge against thoughtful reflections on the nature of trauma and the dangers posed by seemingly banal acts of harassment (it’s amazing how many different kinds of shitty men are represented in under 80 minutes). The film flirts with the idea of rehabilitating the genre without compromising on its transgressive, cruel, and offensive nature.

In spite of its incendiary subject matter and raw violence, Ms. 45 (or Ms.45, or Ms .45, or Ms. .45 – I looked into it and no one seems to agree on the appropriate punctuation) is arguably one of Ferrara’s most accessible pictures. His previous film and (non-porn) debut, Driller Killer (1979), was advertised as bloody slasher trash, but is actually a surprisingly arty, esoteric, and somewhat autobiographical piece. Sort of like a John Cassavetes drama spiked with gory hand drill murders. In comparison, Ms. 45, like its direct follow-up, Fear City (1984), and a few other titles (King of New York [1990] and Body Snatchers [1993]), actively fulfills the expectations of the early ‘80s grindhouse audience it was advertised to.

Ms. 45 has all the sleaze, violence, and borderline cartoonish action that fans of Michael Winner’s Death Wish (1974) loved. But Winner removed all the nuance from Brian Garfield’s original 1972 novel in order to patronize bloodthirsty suburbanites. Ferrara and writer Nicholas St. John are happy to condescend to the same audience, but they’re more interested in the victim’s point-of-view, her anguish, her anger, and wider threat of sexual violence to all women. When Ms. 45 does indulge in Death Wish-like vigilante action – the stylish sequence where she guns down gang members in a quickdraw fashion, for example – there’s a sense of surrealism that implies fantasy and maybe even a dash of satire on Ferrara’s part.

Ferrara’s artistry and the film’s intellectual slant (smarter writers than myself will also discuss symbolic connections to psychoanalysis and mythology – check out this collection’s extra features for more of that) sets Ms. 45 apart from the rabble, but actress Zoë Tamerlis Lund’s central performance – which runs a gamut from docile victim to confident hero and, later, a kabuki-like silent mania – along with her overall input throughout the production, puts it over the top.

Ferrara credits Lund with creating the character and embodying the film’s feminist spirit, which he more or less admits it might not have had without her, given that it was written and directed by men. They reteamed in 1992 when Lund co-wrote, cameoed in, and reportedly even co-directed Ferrara’s signature picture, Bad Lieutenant. Tragically, she passed away before they were able to collaborate again.

If you like Ms. 45 and are on the look out for a cool triple-feature, might I recommend watching it alongside Eckhart Schmidt’s beautifully shot, slow-burn thriller The Fan (German: Der Fan, 1982), a sort of statutory rape/revenge story in which a young woman murders her pop idol and has to dispose of his body, and the ne plus ultra of trashbag NYC horror, Frank Henenlotter’s Basketcase (also 1982).

Bibliography:

• Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study (second edition) by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (McFarland & Co, 2021)

• Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films by Kier-La Janisse (SCB Distributors, 2015)

Video

The R-rated cut of Ms. 45 hit North American VHS from Complete Entertainment and USA Home Video (more recently, there was a collector’s limited edition big box VHS from Mondo) and Image Entertainment put out a no-frills, nonanamorphic, slightly cut DVD in 2000, but, generally speaking, it wasn’t an easy film to find on home video until Drafthouse Films released the first Blu-ray edition in 2014. Arrow’s 4K UHD debut was restored using a new scan of the original 35mm negative, is complete and uncut, and is presented in 1.85:1, 2160p with HDR/Dolby Vision upgrades. Because I can’t get screencaps from UHDs, all of the images on this page are taken from the Drafthouse disc and included here for editorial purposes. 

Cinematographer James Momel’s photography mixes gritty reality with strange camera angles and the end-of-the-’70s fashion & set decoration help punch up the mundanity of fluorescent lighting and overcast skies. Admittedly, the Dolby Vision/HDR upgrade doesn’t do much for this particular film, but the important highlights are punchier than the somewhat washed out DVD and the darkest nighttime shots are a little easier to discern. Grain levels appear accurate, though textures are softer than I’d anticipated. I think this is less of a mastering issue and more a case of Momel’s photography being purposefully plush, especially during the earlier, brightly lit sequences.

Audio

Ms. 45 is presented in its original mono and uncompressed LPCM 1.0. It’s not a flashy mix, but it sets the mood perfectly with its long silences and a simple effects field. Dialogue is consistently clean and there aren’t any occurrences of high end distortion worth complaining about. Singer/musician/composer Joe Delia, who scored almost all of Ferrara’s films over the years, supplies a score that alternates between desolate, horror-like synth/piano riffs and sleazy, sax-driven rock. The music, with its crisp bass and tight, well-layered instrumentations, is the highlight of the mix, though it is used sparingly throughout. 

Extras

• Commentary with Alexandra Heller-Nicholas – As the author of Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study and the Ms. 45 edition of Cultographies (Wallflower, 2017), Heller-Nicholas is arguably the authority on this particular film, outside of, I suppose, Ferrara and Lund themselves. Here, she explores the wider history of the rape/revenge genre, Ferrara’s life & career, the wider careers of the cast & crew (many of whom continued to collaborate with Ferrara for decades), and the film’s ongoing themes. She also makes a fantastic, detailed argument for Ms. 45’s status as a feminist film, bolstered by extensive research and broader contextualization.  

• The Voice of Violence (18:56, HD) – Critic, podcaster, and author BJ Colangelo examines the main character, Thana, the events of the film, and the scummy streets and persistent sexual harassment of Ferrara’s NYC.

• Where Dreams Go to Die (15:55, HD) – Critic, author of All the Colours of Sergio Martino (Arrow, 2018), and co-host of the Daughters of Darkness podcast Kat Ellinger investigates New York City’s grim and gritty revision during the post-New Hollywood era.

• Theatrical trailer

• Image gallery

Archival extras (also available from the Drafthouse Blu-ray):

• Abel Ferrara interview (7:45, HD) – A short discussion with the director on his early career, collaborations, casting Lund, the actress touring her recut version of Ms. 45 without authorization to raise money for the Red Brigades (Brigate Rosse), and her untimely death.

• Interview with composer Joe Delia (10:06, HD) – Delia breaks down his relationship with Ferrara and scoring Ms. 45 with the director’s input.

• Interview with creative consultant Jack McIntyre (10:32, HD) – McIntyre talks about his long friendship with Ferrara, making Ms. 45 on the cheap, working with an untrained dog, his cameo as a hobo, sound mixing, playing the saxophone on the musical tracks, and the logistics of shooting on New York streets.

• Zoe XO (6:21, HD) – A 2004 short film directed by Paul Rachman featuring Lund’s widow Robert Lund, who discusses their relationship while driving through New York streets.

• Zoe Rising (5:55) – A second, 2011 short film from Rachman with the actress’ mother, sculptor Barbara Lekberg, who recalls the events of her daughter’s childhood. 

The images on this page are taken from Drafthouse Films’ BD  – NOT Arrow’s new 4K UHD – and sized for the page. Larger versions can be viewed by clicking the images. Note that there will be some JPG compression.