Movie Type: Post-Noir (Modern Noir), Psychological Drama
Themes: Lovers on the Lam, Crime Sprees
Main Cast: Drew Barrymore, James LeGros, Billy Drago, Joe Dallesandro, Rodney Harvey, Michael Ironside
Release Year: 1992
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Not so much a remake of Joseph H. Lewis's 1949 film noir classic as a variation on its themes, Guncrazy stars Drew Barrymore as Anita, a teenage girl who was born in a trailer park on the wrong side of the tracks and has been fighting a losing battle with respectability ever since. Anita was abused sexually by her mother's boyfriend (played by onetime Warhol "superstar" Joe Dallesandro), is the subject of lewd advances by the school bullies, and is looked on as a slut and a loser by her peers. When Anita has to find a pen pal for a class assignment, she ends up corresponding with a prisoner named Howard (James LeGros), who's serving time for manslaughter. Howard is one of the first people to address Anita with tenderness and respect, so when he gets parole, Howard moves in with her. Howard's obsessive love of guns, however, once again leads to violence, and the couple hits the road hoping to escape their fates. The debut film from director Tamra Davis, Guncrazy was originally shown on cable television, but received enough critical acclaim to merit a later theatrical release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
As Drew Barrymore was transitioning from troubled child star to mainstream starlet, there were plenty of exploitative roles along the way that threatened to typecast her as a big-screen bad girl, but this effective low-key thriller isn't one of them. Guncrazy is surely titillating enough, but never sleazy, and Barrymore brings Anita to life, obviously understanding her misunderstood character. She's daft but sincere throughout, and she and co-star James LeGros manage to remain sympathetic even when they're shooting cops and burying teenage corpses. There are still chilling moments, however; Barrymore freezes the blood when she whispers, "Just think about Jesus," to a doomed young hoodlum. Nothing is retained from Guncrazy's 1949 namesake aside for the leads' obsession with firearms, but both films are low-budget potboilers that outshine their small ambitions with energy and personality. Director Tamra Davis assembled a great cast of cult actors as support for Barrymore and LeGros, all of whom take their one-dimensional characters as far as possible. Joe Dallesandro doesn't have much time to be anything more than sleazy, but Billy Drago is unforgettable as a snake-handling car mechanic and part-time preacher, playing the part with just the right combination of huckster con artist and hardcore Holy Roller. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
Ione Skye - Joy; Billy Bates - Officer at Fountain; Ray Bickel - Officer with Bullhorn; Dan Eisenstein - Chuck; Roger Jackson - Joe; Ildiko Jaid - Woman with Dog; Ida Lee - Parishioner; Leo Lee - Soda Pop; Lawrence Steven Meyers - Crazy Larry; Tracey Walter - Elton; Michael Franco - Officer Frank; Robert Greenberg - Mr. Sheets; Neal Jano - Patient; Jeremy Davies - Bill; Dick Warlock - Sheriff; Harrison Young - Howard's Dad
Credit
Merrie Lawson - Costume Designer, Tamra Davis - Director, Kevin Tent - Editor, Ed Tomney - Composer (Music Score), Lisa Rinzler - Cinematographer, Matthew Bright - Screenwriter
A teenager murders her sexually abusive stepfather after he teaches her how to use a gun. Through a school correspondence course, she meets a prison inmate, Howard, who she seduces back into the world of violence and guns.
She marries Howard and decides to show him the remains of her stepfather; Howard helps her dispose of the body. After they despose of the corpse, Howard commits several homicides, although he was provoked in every instance.
In the film's climax, Howard dies in a shootout with the police, whilst Anita, who had been complicit in everything, acts a hostage to escape repercussions.
