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Gun Crazy
Thrill Crazy... Kill Crazy... Gun Crazy
Bart Tare is an ex-Army man who has a lifelong fixation with guns, he meets a kindred spirit in sharpshooter Annie Starr and goes to work at a carnival. After upsetting the carnival owner who lusts after Starr, they both get fired. Soon, on Starr's behest, they embark on a crime spree for cash.
- Original title
- Gun Crazy
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
John Chard
Jun 7, 2014 · via TMDB
The Real Sex Pistols. Bart Tare (John Dall) had a fascination with guns from an early age, even getting sent to a reform school at the age of 14 for yet another gun related incident. Back home now as an adult, after a stint in the army, he falls for a sharp-shooting carnival girl called Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) and promptly joins the act. But after a fall out with the boss, the pair hit the road and turn to a life of crime - with Annie particularly showing a thirst for gun-play. No doubt inspired by real life outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, "Deadly Is the Female" (AKA: Gun Crazy) is as good a "doomed lovers on the lam" picture that has ever been made. It may be a "B" movie in terms of production, but no doubt about it, this film is stylish, crafty and also very sexy. Directed by the unsung Joseph H. Lewis ("My Name Is Julia Ross/The Big Combo"), it's based on a story written by MacKinlay Kantor that was reworked by Millard Kaufman (AKA: the then blacklisted "Dalton Trumbo"), into one that links sex and violence whilst simultaneously casting an eye over gun worship and its place in the American way of life. Dall & Cummings looked on the surface an odd pairing, but under Lewis' direction they go together like gun and holster (ahem). He is well spoken, almost elegantly fragile with his musings, yet underneath there is still this twitchy gun fanatic. She is savvy, almost virginal in sexuality, but ultimately she's a wild cat who's practically un-tamable. The work of Lewis here should not be understated, check out the quite sublime continuous one take bank robbery. While marvel throughout at his long takes, use of angles, deep focus and jerking camera movements - all of which dovetail with our protagonists as they go on their nihilistic journey. But perhaps his master-stoke was with his preparation tactics for his two leads?. Sending them out with permission to improvise, he fired them up with sexual pep talks, and the result, in spite of the inevitable "code" restrictions, is a near masterpiece, a true genre highlight, and a film that continues to influence as much as it still entertains. 9/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Peggy Cummins
Annie Laurie Starr
John Dall
Bart Tare
Berry Kroeger
Packett
Morris Carnovsky
Judge Willoughby
Anabel Shaw
Ruby Tare Flagler
Harry Lewis
Sheriff Clyde Boston
Nedrick Young
Dave Allister
Trevor Bardette
Sheriff Boston
Russ Tamblyn
Bart Tare (Age 14)
Stanley Prager
Bluey-Bluey
Virginia Farmer
Miss Wynn
Robert Osterloh
Hampton Policeman
Shimen Ruskin
Cab Driver
Harry Hayden
Mr. Mallenberg
Don Beddoe
Chicago Man (uncredited)
Joseph Crehan
Plant Foreman (uncredited)
Eddie Dunn
State Policeman on Phone (uncredited)
Dick Elliott
Man Fleeing Robbed Market (uncredited)
Ross Elliott
Detective (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum
Cashier (uncredited)
Pat Gleason
Carnival Barker (uncredited)
Carl M. Leviness
Office Worker (uncredited)
George Lynn
Holdup Victim (uncredited)
Monty O'Grady
Dance Hall Patron (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre
Court Clerk (uncredited)
Ray Teal
California Border Inspector (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel
Meat Plant Guard (uncredited)
Russell Harlan
Director of Photography
Dale Van Sickel
Stunts
Al J. Jennings
Technical Advisor
Joseph H. Lewis
Director
Arthur Gardner
Producer's Assistant
Sidney Cutner
Orchestrator
Victor Young
Original Music Composer
Dalton Trumbo
Screenplay
Goodnight, Soleil
Wild Lover
The Thanksgiving Visitor
The Long Memory
Baby Assassins
Nowhere to Go
They Made Me a Fugitive
Governance
Daybreak
The Crooked Web
La cárcel de Cananea
Murder Without Tears
A Dangerous Profession
I Was a Communist for the FBI
My Gun Is Quick
Parole, Inc.
Suotorpan tyttö
No Escape
Brown Sugar
Osudové peníze
The Night of the Hunter
Bad Day at Black Rock
Brute Force
The Public Enemy
Batman: Year One
Nightmare Alley
Riot in Cell Block 11
The Mask of Dimitrios
The Outfit
Little Caesar
Odds Against Tomorrow
The Thomas Crown Affair
Cry of the City
The Parts You Lose
Robbery
The Wild One
Thieves Like Us
Killer's Kiss
Kidnapping Mr. Heineken
Winged Creatures
Jan 20, 1950
May 17, 1991
New York City, New York (Re-release)
Jul 17, 2014
Maine International Film Festival
