The dramatic thriller Ms.45, also known as the Angel of Vengeance / Vengeance, is the second full-length film directed by Abel Ferrara to be released in 1981. The painting "Angel of Vengeance" can be positioned as one of the proofs that revenge is a dish that is best served on film, because the path from the victim to the aggressor is miniscule. IMDb feed rating: 6.80.
Brief description of the main intrigue
The plot of the film "Angel of Vengeance" introduces the audience to the main character Tana (Zoe Tamerlis Land), whose name is an allusion to the ancient deity of death of Thanatos.
The girl suffers from damage to the speech apparatus. Because of dumbness, she is forced to work as a seamstress in a workshop in almost the center of New York. She has to return home late in the dark alleys. One day, Tana is attacked by a masked man who rapes the unfortunate woman, threatening her with a gun. Having barely regained consciousness, Tana gets to her apartment, but a robber penetrated into it, who, having not found the values, solicits the returning mistress. The girl, being in a state of shock, kills the offender. But he does not call the police, but dismembers the corpse and leaves his weapon for himself - a 0.45-inch colt.
These events leave an imprint on the mental state of the heroine, Tana is changing and outwardly. During the day, she is modest and inconspicuous, and in the evenings, the girl dresses in tight clothes and puts on bright, provocative makeup. She specifically goes to the night streets of New York, transforming from a victim into a hunter.
Classic Realistic Horror
The movie "Angel of Vengeance" is quite simple in its plot and, due to its modest budget ($ 62,000), it is delivered sparingly, without impressive special effects and frills. But it is possible to interpret its semantic background in different ways, it is not as primitive as it might seem at first glance. It is worth noting that after the premiere, the film received positive reviews from film critics, which allowed the director to receive funding for the implementation of his creative ideas. By the way, the first success came to Abel Ferrara in 1979, after the creation of the tape “Killer with an electric drill”, in which he played the main role. In The Angel of Vengeance, the director also acted as the first rapist.
Criticism
Despite the fact that the development of the plot of the picture is quite predictable, and the intrigue is somewhat stretched, the meager timing of 80 minutes resembles a real cinematic drive. The heavy-duty energy of the tape causes spectator interest, encourages empathy with the main character. The visualization of the film is not exemplary, but interesting, and the artistic inventiveness of the creators can compete with more successful and famous examples of the genre. Film critics are inclined not to interpret the climactic “dressing up” of the central character unequivocally, which, undoubtedly, brings Ferrara's work to a higher level than a simple, albeit solid, explotation.