Gun Crazy (Deadly Is the Female) (1949)

96% of critics liked it
(27 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(2,817 ratings)

The definitive Joseph H. Lewis-directed melodrama, Gun Crazy is the "Bonnie and Clyde" story retooled for the disillusioned postwar generation. John Dall plays a timorous, emotionally disturbed World War II veteran who has had a lifelong fixation with guns. He meets a kindred spirit in carnival… More The definitive Joseph H. Lewis-directed melodrama, Gun Crazy is the "Bonnie and Clyde" story retooled for the disillusioned postwar generation. John Dall plays a timorous, emotionally disturbed World War II veteran who has had a lifelong fixation with guns. He meets a kindred spirit in carnival sharpshooter Peggy Cummins, who is equally disturbed -- but a lot smarter, and hence a lot more dangerous. Beyond their physical attraction to one another, both Dall and Cummins are obsessed with firearms. They embark on a crime spree, with Cummins as the brains and Dall as the trigger man. As sociopathic a duo as are likely to be found in a 1940s film, Dall and Cummins are also perversely fascinating. As they dance their last dance before dying in a hail of police bullets, the audience is half hoping that somehow they'll escape the Inevitable. Some critics have complained that Dall is far too effeminate and Cummins too butch, but Joseph H. Lewis was never known to draw anything in less than broad strokes: recall the climax of Terror in a Texas Town, wherein Sterling Hayden participates in a western showdown armed with a whaler's harpoon. The best and most talked-about scene in Gun Crazy is the bank robbery sequence, shot in "real time" from the back seat of Dall and Cummins' getaway car. Originally slated for Monogram release, Gun Crazy enjoyed a wider exposure when its producers, the enterprising King Brothers, chose United Artists as the distributor. The film was based on a magazine article by MacKinlay Kantor; one of the scenarists was uncredited blacklistee Dalton Trumbo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: Joseph H. Lewis
Written By: MacKinlay Kantor, Millard Kaufman, Dalton Trumbo
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 20, 1950 Limited
On DVD: Jan 19, 1999

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Fault is in the writing and direction, both staying on the surface and never getting underneath the characters.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
One of the most distinguished works of art to emerge from the B movie swamp.
Richard T. Jameson, Parallax View
If you had to select a single film to justify the present enthusiasm for film noir and define its allure, few movies could compete with Gun Crazy.
Edward Porter, Sunday Times (UK)
Some old pulpy noir thrillers aren't as pleasurable as the garish posters that advertised them, but this re-release gives us an example of the genre that's every bit as brash, lusty and stylish as you could wish it to be.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
It's a superbly crafted film by a cult film-maker.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
Darker and more subtly complex than you'd expect from a 1950s crime caper.
Tom Huddlestone, Time Out
Gun Crazy' is a magnificently enjoyable film, distinguished by Joseph H Lewis's restless, catch-all directorial style.
Richard Luck, Film4
Gun Crazy is less an exposé than a hugely exciting crime thriller. And since he's as polite as he is intelligent, Lewis doesn't beat us about the head with his philosophies.
James Christopher, Times [UK]
Admittedly, the script is vintage corn. But visually Gun Crazy is a rude, startling and suggestive pleasure.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
this is a small but perfectly formed black-and-white masterpiece of flash and trash, unwholesome obsession and criminal daring.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Nearly 20 years before the same themes powered Bonnie and Clyde, Lewis was on to the possibilities of "outsider" cinema, and his film is all the more subversive for its origins as raw pulp, unpoliced by the Hollywood system, and getting away with murder.
Jason Wood, Little White Lies
A major influence on both Bonnie and Clyde and the French New Wave (with Godard a particular admirer), it's a film that far transcends its low budget constraints.
, Sky Movies
Extremely well made, this is one cult classic that justifies its reputation.
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
Like all great films noirs, this 1949 lovers-on-the-run thriller, directed by cultists' darling Joseph H. Lewis (The Big Combo), is lean, mean and delirious.
Anthony Quinn, Independent
This modest-looking B-movie, first seen in 1949, has acquired a substantial following in the years since - justifiably.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Seldom seen, but GREAT little film directed by Joseph H. Lewis. Cummins and Dahl are perfect as Bonnie and Clyde types.
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Classic film noir
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
One of the greatest of all films, this "B" movie classic has it all.

Read all 18 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Reid V

A solid noir that really focuses on gun ownership as a metaphor for masculinity. Focusing on Barton's upbringing, the gun is where he finds his male identity. We he eventually meets his love, he does it by winning a shooting contest. Clearly asserting his manliness. For the films… More
A solid noir that really focuses on gun ownership as a metaphor for masculinity. Focusing on Barton's upbringing, the gun is where he finds his male identity. We he eventually meets his love, he does it by winning a shooting contest. Clearly asserting his manliness. For the films femme fatale Annie, wielding the gun is a source of power and in one scene in particular, she shows off her shooting skills to a sea of young men. She shoots out into the crowd, almost as if she is shooting her masculinity all over these men. There is even a scene when she pulls out a gun and sets it on her lap and it is as if she too has her source of masculinity, her very own penis. These are just a few examples of all that Lewis leaves the viewer to unpack. The influence that it would later have on Penn's Bonnie & Clyde is obvious. Although not as intriguing as other Noirs, this psychologically dense film is certainly a good watch.
AJ V

The classic Bonnie and Clyde themed forties movie. It's not a well known cast, but they are really good in this movie. The film is exciting, dramatic, and romantic as well. I just love it.
Cindy I

Why is it that the more you want to see a film, the more disappointed you are when you finally see it? I've been reading about this film in essays and books for 20 years. And now that I've seen it? Sigh....not that it wasn't good, mind you. I just built it up in my mind… More
Why is it that the more you want to see a film, the more disappointed you are when you finally see it? I've been reading about this film in essays and books for 20 years. And now that I've seen it? Sigh....not that it wasn't good, mind you. I just built it up in my mind too much. My bad. Let's touch on the positives first, and there are several. It looks great -- all dark and noir-y. Done on a small budget, and looks it...and that's OK. Some street scenes are obviously on a soundstage, but it doesn't really take away anything. And one scene in a fog-shrouded swamp is particularly effective. There are several chase sequences that really had me going. And the bank robbery scene --- filmed from the backseat of the getaway car and done in one long take -- is the most exciting, probably due to the POV aspect. And finally, the climax of the film and the fate of the couple is a knockout. Now for the negatives -- only one, but it's BIG one that affects the whole film...I just didn't buy the casting. These people -- Bart Tare, the gun-loving, reform school graduate, male lead (John Dall) and Annie Laurie Starr, the sharp-shooter bad girl (Peggy Cummins) -- were supposedly blatantly sexual, ruthless and dangerous. Dall and Cummins were far too soft-spoken for their roles. They seemed more suited for ingenues in drawing rooms dramas. One exception is at the circus during their first meeting. There is obvious heat there, but I don't really see it sustained through the film. And both characters were supposed to be gun-obsessed -- hence the title -- but neither appeared to ever have even fired a gun before. There was actually very little gunplay once the film gets underway. From what I had read, I was half-expecting for them to be fondling their guns as if they were sex organs. And finally, Dall's Bart was far too whiny. I understand that Laurie was the more powerful and dangerous of the two, so maybe that was intentional. But it just wasn't effective or convincing for me. Ultimately, it was a good movie, but not the sex-fueled action-packed film it was touted to be.
Jeremy S

What an unexpected treasure trove Gun Crazy is! A classic precursor to the seminal Bonnie And Clyde. Brilliantly shot in all of film noir's technique. Suprisingly sexy, a depiction of love gone wrong in a world where small town America has been corrupted by the big city.… More
What an unexpected treasure trove Gun Crazy is! A classic precursor to the seminal Bonnie And Clyde. Brilliantly shot in all of film noir's technique. Suprisingly sexy, a depiction of love gone wrong in a world where small town America has been corrupted by the big city. Ultimately a contemplation of obsession. "We go together like guns and ammunition".
Randy T

Outrageous and fun film that starts like Leave It To Beaver and winds up like Bonnie And Clyde. Peggy Cummins is wonderful as the sharp-shooting femme fatale and John Dall is perfectly cast as the good-hearted schmuck who is drawn into a life of… More
Outrageous and fun film that starts like Leave It To Beaver and winds up like Bonnie And Clyde. Peggy Cummins is wonderful as the sharp-shooting femme fatale and John Dall is perfectly cast as the good-hearted schmuck who is drawn into a life of implied-sex and crime. Of note are the robbery and chase scenes that are shot in continuous takes from a back-seat point of view. I'm not sure if this technique was a result of artistic forethought or a product of a limited budget but it works well. Director Joseph H. Lewis defies convention in both his medium and his method and delivers a classic in the genre of film noir
Pierluigi P

Exciting story of lovers with a twisted passion for the trigger ala Bonnie and Clyde, with frenetic but solid direction by Joseph H. Lewis.
Veronique K

if you'd like to categorize "gun crazy" as the earlier version of "bonnie and clyde", it might have some parallel to resonate but somehow the core spirit might differ to a degree. "gun crazy" is mainly about a couple with the shared obsession for… More
if you'd like to categorize "gun crazy" as the earlier version of "bonnie and clyde", it might have some parallel to resonate but somehow the core spirit might differ to a degree. "gun crazy" is mainly about a couple with the shared obsession for invincible power gained from shooting as well as their fetish craze for guns. they form their bond thru the mutual recognition of gun-fetishes. then peggy cummins' character laury shifts her craze for guns into the crave of power....she's the harpy vixen who could pull the trigger ruthlessly as her well-being get endangered, anytime someone hinders her way, the sympton for homicidal violence. as for john dall's bud, he's more of a romantic steer whose appetite for destruction hasn't been explored throughly as laury's if he has any. as a child, he would commit theivery to get a gun as he's the puppet for guns. bud identifies himself thru the thrill of firecrack but suffers from a backset guilty conscience for death. so basically laury takes the wheel with her manipulative allure and tigress-alike shrewdness, guiding bud into the empheral life once the gun is fired off, the spark is briefly annihilated as well as its immediate ruin. laury is a more interesting character with sociopath tedency, bud is the slave of her wild spunk just as bud is the puppet of his own gun-craze. she conducts herself with the ambition as mighty as any incorrigible male con, but limited to her gender as a female, love shall be her gang so bud is her sidekick. she seeks a man who is tough enough to depredate everything from the world for her, or at least obedient enough to grant her wishes and comply her will as bud. the idea of aggressive female dominating over the submissive male is something differentiated from bonnie and clyde since bonnie is more of a moll who approves and accomplices clyde. bud is more of a gentleman with his bourgeois upbring, reluctant to smear off any life on earth; laury is more of a ghette street-wise woman who has been kicked around all her life that stimulates an avid vengence for her to hit it top against society. the end of their demise together is more like a final confrontation between the two's living values: bud shoots laury to stop her from shooting his childhood friend while he gets killed by the police surrounded just becuz he fires a shot....bud chooses a last preserved virtue of mercy as laury chooses to abide her primitive survival instinct thru killing. bud is the domestic kitten which cannot adapt into the dangerous edge; laury is the savage feline existing among the perilous jungle. maybe bud could be the hapless romantic anti-hero with strong love for his woman......and our femme fatale in this time is raging amok with all her ammunitions that you could not ignore....gone(gun) crazy.
Stella D

a gun-crazy kid meets the girl of his dreams/nightmares in this outrageous noir. i love the shooting contest/pseudo-sex scene, the long single take of a robbery shot entirely from the back seat of a car and of course the eerie final sequence. a cool bonnie and clyde tale, very… More
a gun-crazy kid meets the girl of his dreams/nightmares in this outrageous noir. i love the shooting contest/pseudo-sex scene, the long single take of a robbery shot entirely from the back seat of a car and of course the eerie final sequence. a cool bonnie and clyde tale, very entertaining
Jason S

A lot like Bonnie and Clyde if Clyde really didn't want to be a bad guy and let the girl tell him what to do the whole time. It was good though.
Michael G

A wannabe Bonnie and Clyde. The final sequence is well done.
Eric B

"Gun Crazy" is square in the predictable "lovers on the run" genre, but it stands out because the suspense as the couple's resources and options thin is unusually fierce and prolonged. Also, both of the lead actors seem to belong in a much different, nicer… More
"Gun Crazy" is square in the predictable "lovers on the run" genre, but it stands out because the suspense as the couple's resources and options thin is unusually fierce and prolonged. Also, both of the lead actors seem to belong in a much different, nicer sort of film, so we especially identify with their frantic confusion and insecurities. On the other hand, the good/bad contradictions of Bart's character strain credibility and it's hard to understand why his less rational mate can manipulate him so easily.
Anthony V

"Why do you have to murder people? Why can't you let them live?" A Classic. The climax in the fog is a masterpiece of direction and cinematography.
Patrick D

I love lovers-on-the-run/on-the-road films. This sucker is pretty stylistic too. There's alot of great sequences I had to gauk at.

Read all 13 featured audience ratings

Cast

Peggy Cummins
as Annie Laurie Starr
John Dall
as Bart Tare
Berry Kroeger
as Packett

Morris Carnovsky
as Judge Willoughby
Anabel Shaw
as Ruby Tare
Russ Tamblyn
as Bart Tare: younger

See full cast