Main Cast: Gil Bellows, Renée Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, Jeffrey Combs, Jace Alexander
Release Year: 1994
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Two young lovers go on the run from the law after a convenience store robbery goes bad in this road movie. Love and a .45 centers on philosophically inclined thief Watty Watts (Gil Bellows), who believes in a little robbery but not real violence. An ill-advised collaboration with a crazed, drugged-out biker (Rory Cochrane) ends badly, however, forcing Watty to go on the run. His girlfriend Starlene (Renee Zellweger) joins him, and the two become media darlings thanks to television coverage of their flight from the law. First-time director C.M. Talkington's combination of violence and ironic attitude recalls both 1970s crime dramas and Quentin Tarantino's violent, quirky takes on the genre. However, the film's warmed-over feel may be redeemed by its irreverent tone and appealing performances, including a self-parodying appearance by Peter Fonda. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
A terrific performance by Renee Zellweger and a couple of amusing cameos are the brightest spots in this jokey mixture of outlaw romance and the old ultra-violence. Zellweger struts and sasses her way through a part whose brassiness flies in the face of her later, more vulnerable roles, while hippie survivor Peter Fonda and Texan actress Ann Wedgeworth (vivacious Lana from Three's Company) have fun as her trashy, nouveau riche parents. Gil Bellows tries his best to enliven the part of the protagonist, but really, his Watty Watts is just another of those interchangeable '90s antiheroes -- an opportunist with a handsome face and a few stray scruples. Writer/director C.M. Talkington stages an audacious and amusing opening sequence in which Watts schools a hapless teen convenience-store clerk in the ways of the world. But from there, it's mostly wink-nudge shoot-em-ups and stock lovers-on-the-lam horseplay. Rory Cochrane does attack the role of Billy Mack Black with a lot of conviction; it's hard not to love the character's inventive way of shooting up speed with a tattoo needle. But there's too much of Brad Pitt's similar turn in Kalifornia in Cochrane's portrayal, and, despite a more assured tone, too much of that film's also-ran aura in general. Love and a .45 isn't necessarily derivative of Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone, but it certainly taps into the same zeitgeist as those directors. Unfortunately, it does so with less originality and style. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
D. Montgomery - Art Director, Jim Steele - Co-producer, Kari Perkins - Costume Designer, Kris Krengel - First Assistant Director, C.M. Talkington - Director, Bob Ducsay - Editor, Mark Amin - Executive Producer, Andrew Hersh - Executive Producer, Andrew Hirsch - Executive Producer, Tom Verlaine - Composer (Music Score), Pilar McCurry - Musical Direction/Supervision, Happy Walters - Musical Direction/Supervision, Deborah Pastor - Production Designer, Tom Richmond - Cinematographer, Mark Amin - Producer, Darin Scott - Producer, Bill Fiege - Sound/Sound Designer, C.M. Talkington - Screenwriter, Karen Dare - Executive in Charge of Production
The film begins with a young couple in love (Gil Bellows as Watty Watts; Renée Zellweger as Starlene), planning a convenience store robbery with Watts' drug-addict friend, Billy Mack Black (played by Rory Cochrane). The robbery unquestionably fails and the trio is forced to go on the run from the law, headed for Mexico.
They meet a lot of quirky characters along the way, including Starlene's parents, played by Peter Fonda and Ann Wedgeworth. The couple inspire a sort of media-frenzy with their antics and the couple love to watch themselves.
One common theme running through the film is Watty Watts' unusual philosophy on bad behavior - a little petty crime is okay but he doesn't believe in violence. He is a follower of the I Ching, an ancient system of philosophy. The audience gets to watch as he walks the line between a little thievery and being downright violent.
