Guncrazy

Director - Tamra Davis (Billy Madison, Halfbaked)

Starring - Drew Barrymore (Firestarter, E.T.), James Le Gros (Wildling, Constantine), and Billy Drago (The Hills Have Eyes, The X-Files)

Release Date - 1992

Genre - Crime/Romance

Tagline - "Love made them crazy.  Guns made them outlaws"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was browsing the MVD page sometime back I saw a list of some of the new MVD Rewind Collection releases.  The Bolo Yeung double feature really caught my eye but another one that really peaked my curiosity was 1992's Guncrazy directed by Tamra Davis.  Davis is also the director behind some of my favorite movies growing up like Billy Madison and Halfbaked.  I knew it wasn't a horror oriented released but I had to check it out.  I reached out to MVD and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows the teenage Anita (Barrymore) who lives with her mother's ex-boyfriend who sometimes sleeps with her.  Her morally loose home life has bled over into her school life as she often sleeps with some of the guys in her school.  However, her life forever changes when her teacher has her find a pen-pal to write to.  She finds someone on prison, Howard (Le Gros), and they begin a relationship.  She eventually kills her mother's boyfriend before helping Howard get released.  Howard's love of guns, along with his sexually promiscuous girlfriend, puts Howard in a heated exchange between some former lovers of hers where he accidentally shoots one of them.  To cover his tracks he kills the other one and eventually more bodies begin to pile up.

     I went into Guncrazy knowing nothing about it and I found myself really fucking enjoying it.  We get a performance from Barrymore that I was not expecting, some amazing deaths, and any movie that has snake handling is going to pull me in.  I really enjoyed it and I'm glad MVD sent this one my way.  The acting in this one is solid.  No one is going to be winning awards from their performances here but they still fit the film very well.  Barrymore is a little underwhelming at times BUT I was not expecting her to tackle a role like this.  The wet t-shirt shower scene along with the sexual energy she brings is unlike any other film of her's that I've seen.  Le Gros delivers a pretty solid performance.  I really liked his character and how he approached it.  With that being said, my favorite character was portrayed by Billy Drago.  Drago has made a name for himself in the genre for his characters he brings to life on screen and seeing him as a preacher at a snake handling church sold the film for me.  I grew up near Jolo, WV near the famous snake handling church so seeing him tackle this character was fantastic.  Maybe I'm biased but I loved seeing him in this role.  The story for this one is a modern spin on Bonnie and Clyde two years before Natural Born Killers.  Bonnie and Clyde were known for their admiration for each other along with their crime spree ending in bloodshed.  This one mixes that story up a little and the crime spree is replaced with several accidental and forced murders before the bloodshed.  It works and the romance angle is not overbaring.  I really enjoyed it and how the film ended.  Finally, this one has several bloody on screen deaths.  All the deaths fit the theme of the film with guns but they are perfectly executed.  In fact, one of those deaths is still sticking with me all this time after watching it for the first time.  Overall, Guncrazy was a fantastic film and a fucking great release from MVD as part of their Rewind Collection.  The transfer looks great and the features included add to the experience.  Be sure to check this one out and add it to your collection.