Even the biggest actors have their films that get lost in the shuffle, only to be found and appreciated by the most dogged of fans. Drew Barrymore has been a household name since her earliest days from E.T. the Extra Terrestrial on to her later work as an adult with people like Adam Sandler or in the Charlie’s Angels franchise. In this transition from child star to full-grown adult, Barrymore made many bold and interesting choices meant to shed her image as a cute little kid in favor of the burgeoning woman she was becoming. One title that may not be on your radar is the Tamra Davis-directed Bonnie & Clyde-esque tale Guncrazy from 1992. If you have never heard of it, don’t feel bad. The film debuted at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival where distribution rights were picked up by Showtime. While the film did earn Barrymore an Emmy nomination for Best Actress in a TV movie, it has gone relatively under the radar since the early 90s. While not a stone-cold masterpiece, this film deserves better than to be forgotten, which makes the unexpected Blu-Ray release from MVD Entertainment such a blessing.
Davis (Half Baked, Billy Madison) paints a pretty bleak picture for young Anita Minteer (Drew Barrymore), who lives in an isolated California town where the odds are stacked against her. Anita’s mother is supposedly out of town saving up money so that she can bring Anita to join her in her new life, but everyone knows she is most likely off selling herself for drug money. Anita was left in the care of her mother’s boyfriend Rooney (Joe Dallesandro), who has long since forgotten about Anita’s mother in favor of a grossly inappropriate relationship with Anita herself. The lack of hope in her life has taken a toll on her outside of her trailer, as well, as she relents to sexual favors with some of her classmates in order to feel that she has some value in this world. When a school assignment forces her to make a pen pal, Rooney continues her poor decision-making by writing to a prison inmate named Howard (James Le Gros, Drugstore Cowboy) who she finds herself drawn to more and more with every letter. As Howard approaches his parole hearing, the two just might have the opportunity to carry their relationship to the real world.
While this basic conceit could read as over-the-top or tawdry, the script actually handles this relationship with a great amount of tact. Barrymore is quite heartbreaking and sympathetic in this role that keeps you hoping for the best even when her situation unravels even more. The first red flag pops up when Anita decides to familiarize herself with guns after Howard describes his great love of firearms. Little does Howard know that she has already put the gun to good use before he even arrives upon his parole, which she helped facilitate by securing him a job. Howard is not your typical hardened criminal looking to prey on Anita. LeGros matches Barrymore in her excellence as this complicated convict who is looking to restart his life in earnest, but will soon be drawn into criminal dealings once again thanks to Anita’s circumstances and their problematic romance. Their relationship is completely inappropriate, but they somehow make sense together as the only two people who understand one another. It is not morally right, but you can see why these two are drawn to one another on such a level that they end up on the run together.
While certainly a bit excessive at times, the crime-spree portion of the film that takes up the last third of the movie offers up some pulse-pounding tension and some unexpected instances of black comedy. Guncrazy becomes quite violent in the end, but you cannot help but appreciate the restraint employed by Davis. Perhaps it is due to the story being told through a female perspective, but the narrative never veers into unneeded salaciousness and the characters are always treated with respect. These are two people who have gotten themselves into a bad situation because life has become too much to handle. Guncrazy does not reach the heights of classic pulpy narratives that have a timeless quality about them, but it is compelling enough to seek out for the forgotten gem that it had been fated to be. The performances from our two leads, as well as the impressive ensemble including Michael Ironside, Billy Drago and Ione Skye, are extremely compelling. Even when a film has been mishandled for the longest time, there is always time to give it the attention it deserves.
Video Quality
Guncrazy makes its long-awaited Blu-Ray debut via the MVD Rewind Collection with a 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The source of the transfer is unclear, but the overall quality is quite strong despite some variances. The results are quite impressive with an organically filmic presentation that does not appear to suffer from any digital manipulation. For the majority of the film, the transfer is incredibly clear and detailed, but there are some darker moments where the grain spikes quite a bit or that displays some fluctuations in density. The presentation features some pleasing detail in the production design and texture of clothing. Colors are fairly vibrant and bright, especially in the daytime setting where the film thrives. The skin tones appear to be natural throughout most of the film, but there are a couple of scenes where they push more toward the orange side of the spectrum. There is the occasional nick or scratch present in the print, but overall this is free of blatant damage. This is a pretty great presentation for a film that was probably not expected to get such a carefully considered transfer.
Audio Quality
MVD Visual brings us this new Blu-Ray with both an LPCM 2.0 and Dolby Digital 5.1 track that offers a very strong audio experience. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely including the chatter of Anita’s classmates and the sound of the wind in the wide open isolated setting. This track does not present with any glaring instances of age related wear and tear. This is a track that represents the film in a very pleasing way. Optional English (SDH) and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Tamra Davis and star Drew Barrymore give an interesting commentary track filled with compelling insights into the film. They are unfortunately not doing the track together and Davis dominates the track by far, but she points out many aspects of the film that might be easily overlooked. Worth a listen for fans of the film!
- The Making of Guncrazy: An epic newly-filmed 1-hour-and-29-minute making-of documentary in which director Tamra Davis, writer Matthew Bright, producer Zane Levitt and actors James Le Gros and Ione Skye tell the epic tale of creating the film. The piece is impeccably put together and very informative as the participants shine a light on every aspect of the film you could dream up. Highly recommended!
- Portrait of a Director – Tamra Davis: A 39-minute piece that focuses more on Davis specifically filmed at the same time as the last piece. This details her career starting in music videos and transitioning to feature films and television. It is great to hear directly from Davis as she honestly assesses her career and explains why she has made certain choices in recent years.
- The Making of Guncrazy – Original 1992 Featurette: A 20-minute piece archival piece that feels much more promotional in nature in comparison to the other supplements. The most worthwhile part of this supplement is getting to hear interviews from the stars on the set.
- Five Behind The Scenes Clips On The Set of Guncrazy: Five clips totaling about five minute of footage from the set shot while filming some of the more intense scenes such as the snake handling and shootout.
- Trailers: Two trailers for Guncrazy are provided here. This disc also includes trailers for various other MVD Entertainment releases.
- Poster: A fold-out poster of the cover art is included in the case.
Final Thoughts
Guncrazy is a bleak story of two misfits with nothing to lose finding one another and embarking on a path of chaos. The assured directing from Tamra Davis brings out the best from Drew Barrymore and James Le Gros and allows this one to be more nuanced than you would expect. MVD Entertainment has released an incredible Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and an excellent assortment of special features. If you are a fan of the film or the talent involved, you could not really ask for more. Recommended
Guncrazy is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
