Ms. 45: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4K UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1981
Director: Abel Ferrara
Writer: Nicholas St. John
Cast: Zoë Lund, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto, Helen McGara, Nike Zachmanoglo, Peter Yellen,Editta Sherman 

Release Date: October 27th, 2025 (UK), October 28th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 80 Minutes 42 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"New York, 1980. Raped at gunpoint on her way home from work, mute seamstress Thana returns to the safety of her apartment only to be assaulted again by a burglar; but this time she fights back. Bludgeoning her assailant with an iron, she takes his gun and begins to dispose of the body piece by piece. Fuelled by her trauma, Thana sees that sexual threat is everywhere in the city and decides to bring a .45 caliber solution to the problem." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Ms. 45 has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono audio. The films is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K 16 bit at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. The film was restored in 4K and color graded at Resillion. All materials sourced for this new master were made available by Giant Pictures via Warner Bros. This newly restored master was reviewed by Sean Williams and approved by director Abel Ferrara."

Ms. 45 comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

DiscSize: 73.1 GB

Feature: 56 GB

Ms. 45 is given a brand new transfer for this release, which is a marked improvement over all of its previous home media releases. Flesh tones and colors look perfect; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (13 images - poster/home video art/stills), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), two short films about Zoë Lund directed by Paul Rachman: Zoë XO (6 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and Zoë Rising (5 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with creative consultant Jack McIntyre (10 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with composer Joe Delia (10 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Abel Ferrara (7 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette with film critic Kat Ellinger titled Where Dreams Go to Die (15 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette with film critic BJ Colangelo titled The Voice of Violence (18 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of Rape Revenge Films: A Critical Study and Cultographies: Ms .45, reversible cover art, a double-sided fold-out poster, a slipcover, and a 60-page perfect-bound book with cast & crew information, Zoë as Thana as Zoë written by Robert Lund, A Biographical Sketch in the First Person written by Zoë Lund, an essay titled Ms. 45 written by Brad Stevens, an essay titled Death walks in High Heels written by Kier-La Janisse, The Ship With Eight Sails written by Zoë Lund, an essay titled Zoë Lund: Writer, Muse, and Rebel written by Paul Rachman, previously unseen photographs of Zoë Lund, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Ms. 45 was directed by Abel Ferrara, whose other notable films include The Driller Killer, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, The Addiction, and The Funeral.

After experiencing sexual assault twice in a single day, a mute seamstress spirals into madness. As she drifts further into madness, she stalks the streets with a .45, which she uses against random men.

Ms. 45 combines elements of both vigilante and rape/revenge films. In the case of the latter, it puts a unique spin on this subgenre, where the victim takes out her aggression, not on those who violated her, but on random men who she feels threatened by. That said, her violent outbursts are more of a reaction to her environment than they are calculated moments of vengeance.

Ms. 45 opens with a shocking and brutal setup, where the protagonist is sexually assaulted twice by two different men. While the first man leaves the scene, she struggles against the second and ultimately kills him. Instead of calling the police, she decides to cut up his body and drop pieces of it around the city. The narrative maintains its relentless momentum, culminating in an outstanding finale that acts as an ideal conclusion.

The most remarkable aspect of Ms. 45 is Zoë Lund’s portrayal of a mute seamstress named Thana. Her performance depends entirely on her emotional responses and physicality, with her first and only words being spoken in her final moment. The narrative unfolds through her perspective, and her portrayal effectively immerses the viewer in her character's mindset. That said, although the other performances all pale in comparison, they all work well within the story that unfolds.

The one constant throughout Abel Ferrara's cinema is New York City, and he has a talent for selecting locations that enhance the mood. It is especially clear in scenes where Thana uses her .45 to express her rage. Two of these moments stand out more than the others; the first is a scene where Thana is encircled by five men, whom she systematically shoots with the utmost calm as they charge her, and the second is a costume party finale in which she dresses like a nun.

Although Abel Ferrara has been active for six decades and continues to create films on his own terms, he rarely missed the mark during his peak period in the 1980s and 90s. When discussing a film like Ms. 45, one cannot overlook his growth as a filmmaker from The Driller Killer; the result is a remarkable film in which everything perfectly falls into place. That said, when considering what Abel Ferrara’s best films are, there are only three that can be seriously considered: King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, and Ms. 45.

Ms. 45 gets a definitive release from Arrow Video. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer