Guncrazy (1993)

I guess one could look at the Matthew Bright scripted, Tamra Davis directed Guncrazy as an updated-to-the-90's modern day Bonnie and Clyde where two down-on-their-luck youths(twenty-something LeGros, minor Barrymore), whose lives were disheveled by broken homes or troubled upbringing, form a fateful union where guns fall into their hands with crime certain to follow. LeGros, recently converted to Christianity while in prison on a murder charge, becomes pen pals to teenage Drew Barrymore(..it was a high school assignment to find a pen pal) whose mom ran out on her, and who is currently living with a loathsome lout once linked to mama.I think the brilliance of Bright's script is how he builds to the ultimate crescendo of violence which erupts at the end, showing through a series of circumstances which tragically befall them(..two high school cretins who will not listen to LeGros who demands for them to leave the premises, and how they're unwilling to listen due to their desire to proposition Barrymore, Barrymore's murder of her mother's lover after he rapes her, the resistance against parole officer Michael Ironside's demand for LeGros to return to jail until he can be moved elsewhere resulting in the murder of a cop, failed burglary at a bar, the inability to find Barrymore's mother in Fresno), that they were doomed to suffer an inevitable fate.They're very much victims of circumstance, a domino-effect-spiral culminating, bit by bit, until faced with a laundry list of criminal activities which follow one mistake upon another. What I admired about this particular film was the casting for the couple on the lam. Barrymore is adorable as a conflicted teenager, with a reputation for spreading her legs for many of the local boys, considered little more than trailer trash. She's without parental guidance or love, and LeGros fulfills these longings she has never known, he himself on the mend and hoping to find his place. Unlike the usual role of a recently released ex-con attempting to go straight, LeGros is handsome, modest, relatively pleasant and easy-going, not demanding anything of Barrymore but her love. He's not a monster, really, and quite vulnerable. He's also a virgin and impotent..which kind of adds a dynamic to his relationship to Barrymore for she's always been used for little more than sexual purposes. Joe Dallesandro has a very unflattering role as Barrymore's scum-bucket "father figure", a drunk pedophile who takes advantage of her(..and probably has perhaps contributed to why Barrymore is rather skewed in regards to her overview of men / boys;this has probably been occurring since Barrymore was a child), providing her with guidance in how to fire a gun properly.Guncrazy can probably be viewed as a precursor to Bright's wicked, acid-tongued Freeway, known as his masterpiece. As is evident in this film, Bright seems drawn to "derelicts to society", the undesirables who seem to eventually fall through the cracks and into a life of crime. The amusing aspect to me in this film is just how poor LeGros and Barrymore are as criminals..the bar scene a particular highlight in how the victims are able to guilt the duo into returning their cash! Good use of California locations and the cinematography is at times inventive while also capturing / casting certain areas in a rather unsavory light due to the characters focused on(..impoverished rural places outside cities and certain areas of urban squalor)such as Billy Drago(..another in his many customary weirdo roles)as a mechanic / preacher who gives LeGros a job, room, and board. Ironside has the role of a slightly contemptible parole officer, a bigot(..towards "white trash", characters Bright seems to embrace)who doesn't like the idea of his daughter(Ione Skye)hanging around with Barrymore, and doesn't trust LeGros. I really was drawn to the off-beat nature of the film and how it cares for it's leads..I mean, despite their faults, they tried to carve out a decent life for themselves, allowing their impulses to ruin any chance of co-existing in a harsh world.

I am always excited to see the darkness of cinema's past, but continually happy with its progress and evolution over the years. If the genre displayed in Guncrazy would have remained throughout the cinematic years, I think I would have had to choose a different hobby other than film. Here we have a very gritty, very disturbing film, which just never seems to leave the hangar. I continually felt that Guncrazy was this grounded plane never geared for takeoff, which was disappointing because several times it seemed as if it was ready for lift-off. Director Tamra Davis has her work cut out for her on this picture. It surprised me that the woman who brought us Billy Madison, Half-Baked, and Crossroads would dare dabble in a project like this … yet she did, and I don't think that she succeeded. Matthew Bright, the guy who brought us Freeway, has a very crafted story, but I believe that it is Davis' direction, coupled with disappointing acting that ultimately destroys this film.Think about this for a minute. When you are directing a film of this caliber, you as a director need to realize that it is more than just a story about sexual teens and violence, but instead a haunting image of our world, culture, and society. As I watched this film, I couldn't help but see (and sometimes hear) Bright's angst-ridden voice about our society trying to come through, but it felt that Davis was pushing that aside in hopes to give Drew more screen time. We kept scratching on the surface of guns and violence, but never quite dug deep enough. There was so much that should have happened with this story, that Bright's words were completely ignored and left for Davis to butcher. I believe that if Bright would have manned this project, we may have seen stronger characters, deeper emotions and themes, all the while exposing truths about our society. These were elements that were lacking considerably in this film. While it is said that Davis tried to avoid making a remake of Crazy is the Female, I believe that the older film spoke more about society than this film did. Davis covered up truths and intelligence with overly clichéd shock moments coupled with silly, incoherent violence.With Davis practically missing the mark behind the camera, this left nothing for the actors. Barrymore decently tries to fill the shoes of this innocent 17-year old that only wanted love and would do anything for it, but the lacking chemistry between her and LeGros overshadows her performance. I felt as if Davis could only afford a portion of LeGros for this film and most of the time he was replaced with a cardboard cut-out of himself. He gave no emotion to his character. I realize that he was to show how corrupt the world had been to him, but does that mean he cannot smile, frown, show fear, excitement, hatred, distrust, love, or any range of emotions that come with being an actor. LeGros hurt this film. Typically, I like his performances, but I don't think he was ready, nor did it seem that he really wanted this role. This hurt the foundation of the film. Here we have Barrymore giving a decent performance, but LeGros doesn't hold up his end of the bargain, which ultimately hurts any support that we have for our heroines.While I sternly believe that Davis destroyed the overall tone of the film and LeGros' cardboard image impeded any connection with Barrymore, there were some scenes that I thought Bright exceptionally wrote into this film. My favorite scene in the entire film was when Anita and Howard were together at the house living a life that could never be theirs. It was so interesting to see these two victims of poverty living, breathing, and experiencing a physically imaginative world. Then, a pivotal changing moment in the film occurs and it really places this film into a different perspective. I wasn't expecting this type of change in the film, and it really showcased what Bright was trying to accomplish. Another scene that I enjoyed occurred right before this monumental scene, when Hank is just about to be arrested by his parole officer. He screams down the hall of the hospital, and all Anita responds with is, "What's he yellin' about now?" This shocked me because it completely tore down any barriers that I thought I already knew about Anita and Hank's relationship. Was there a level of comfortability settling in with the relationship? Interesting turn, which captured my attention. Sadly, the remaining scenes were just a flagrant disrespect to Bright's darkening talent.Overall, I wasn't impressed with this film. I strongly suggest it to those who are big Matthew Bright fans, but we forewarned this is not as exceptional or as shocking as Freeway was. This was a film completely chastised by Tamra Davis and James LeGros. Barrymore decently carries herself, a la Reese Witherspoon in Freeway, but it just doesn't come together smoothly. The overall tone and elements are completely missing as Davis implements increasing scenes of shock value instead of stronger elements of society. It is difficult to watch, not because of what occurs in the film, but because of the lack of direction, acting, and overall momentum. The final result seems more like a cheaply tailored small tuxedo on a very large man. It covers the wrong spots. Skip it. You will live life happier.Grade: ** out of *****

We thought this film was a remake of the much better film noir of the same title, or as it's known in this forum, "Deadly is the Female", a 1949 Joseph Lewis' film with a screen play by MacKinlay Kantor. But no, this is another film altogether using the same title as the other one. As directed by Tamra Davis, with the screen treatment by Matthew Bright, this is a film that tries to deliver, but in the end, it's predictable, as we know the mistakes of the couple at the center of the story would work against them.Anita Minteer seems to be a loner. We watch her in school, where she is not a popular girl in any shape, or form. Some of the pot heads from her school take her for a ride in which two end up having sex with her. Anita has been left to fend for herself by her absent mother, who has gone to Fresno to make some money and ultimately have Anita come live with her. Anita is being sexually abused by her mother's good for nothing boyfriend. The girl loves to learn how to use guns, and Rooney, who wants to keeps her, complies. A sad mistake! Her love for guns will ultimately be her downfall and that of the only person that really loved her.At school, Anita, and her class, have been asked to find a pen pal, as part of a project. She finds one, but unfortunately, Howard, who writes to her, is in jail. Anita finds a kind garage owner, who is also the head of a weird congregation, to vouch for Howard, who is paroled and comes to work in the town. Howard, is a man who has had no luck, either with women, or in anything else. It's sort of inevitable Anita and Howard fall in love and are married by the minister. Fate is against this duo; in a series of events, Howard will go back to his old ways when forced to do so. We realize there's no way out for this doomed man, or for Anita. The film doesn't disappoint thanks to the charismatic Drew Barrymore playing Anita. This is a girl too wise for her own good. James Legros, is as always, an interesting actor to watch. His take on Howard, is right. In supporting roles, Joe Dallesandro plays Anita mother's boyfriend, a creep that takes advantage of the situation. Michael Ironside is also seen as Howard's parole officer and Ione Skye plays his daughter, Anita's rebellious friend.Tamra Davis directs with an eye for detail. This film will not disappoint to crime film fans.

"Guncrazy" is a mediocre movie at best, unfortunately. However, if you want to see a 17-year old Drew in (yet again) sexual situations (none of which are good), then this is the movie for you.It combines the "I married an ex-con", "I like guns", and "I'm a sexually troubled girl" plots into yet another movie.Directed by Tamra Davis, who made at least one pretty good movie ("Skipped Parts"), so she is not totally without talent. The movie was written by Matthew Bright, who wrote "Freeway" a few years earlier, so he has talent as well. Included are Drew Barrymore, Ione Skye and a couple other notable names, however, they display no real talents here.I guess the dialog is the weakest link, here. Some of it just sounds bad or out of place.There are no extra features, but the DVD is available for about $7.99. You could do worse, but not by much.