GUN CRAZY
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Running Length: 1:36 Rated: R (Violence, language, sexual situations, mature themes)
Starring: Drew Barrymore, James LeGros, Billy Drago, Joe Dallesandro, Michael Ironside, Ione Skye Director: Tamra Davis Producers: Zane W. Levitt and Diane Firestone Screenplay: Matthew Bright Music: Ed Tomney Released by First Look Pictures
Anita (Drew Barrymore) is on the fast track to nowhere, staring her own self-destruction in the face. Abandoned by the mother whose boyfriend she lives with and is sexually abused by, Anita is looking for a way out. She finds it through Howard (James LeGros), an ex-convict that she becomes pen-pals with. After his release from prison, the two get together and find that their bond goes deeper than a mutual love of guns.
GUN CRAZY, while sharing the title and some of the themes of the 1949 Joseph H. Lewis film that inspired it, is less a remake than a re-interpretation. The mood and tone remain constant, but the characters and their relationships have been modernized.
Distilled to its essence, GUN CRAZY is a love story. Admittedly, this isn't the kind of nice, romantic film that the audience can sit through content to know that everything will turn out all right in the end. Equally, the formulas of the traditional romance are out the window. GUN CRAZY is unapologetically bizarre in its treatment of the relationship between Anita and Howard. In some ways, it's reminiscent of what exists between Lula and Sailor in David Lynch's WILD AT HEART.
The biggest negative about GUN CRAZY is a tendency toward self-parody. There are several instances during the movie when circumstances become too outlandish to be believed. A case in point is that of a church service held by Hank (Billy Drago) that goes far beyond the usual interpretation of a revivalist religious ceremony. Even the most ridiculous elements of this over-the-top scene have been left intact in the final print of the movie.
This film is not particularly concerned about getting all the details right, either. Some of the events of GUN CRAZY stretch the limits of credibility. While few of these slips are glaring, it will be apparent even to a casual viewer that the script is not air-tight.
The most fascinating element of GUN CRAZY is how it develops the character of Anita. The casting of Drew Barrymore in the role might at first seem odd, but she does an excellent job playing an affection-starved youth. For Anita, sex is something she uses in a fruitless effort to be liked. Her mother has abandoned her and her mother's boyfriend, with whom she lives, cares about her only when he needs a woman. That she happens to fall in love with Howard is a quirk of fate. She would have fallen in love with anyone - he just happens to be in the right place at the right time.
Anita initially learns to fire a gun so that she will have something in common with Howard when he gets out of prison. Later, the particular gun that she learns with, and guns in general, take on greater significance. In many ways, because of Howard's sexual impotence, they become a surrogate for sex in the relationship. As Anita puts it, sex was never anything special to her, but firing guns is. She'd rather shoot with Howard than sleep with him.
At first glance, GUN CRAZY might appear to be a shallow exploitation film, complete with low budget and little-known actors. That it was shown on Showtime before getting theatrical release serves only to further tarnish its image. However, beneath the surface, this movie has surprisingly deep currents, with characters and relationships that are complex. GUN CRAZY certainly isn't for everyone, but anyone who has a taste for twisted love stories will find something here to savor.
Rating: 7.7 (B, **1/2)
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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