Ms .45 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Ms .45 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 12, 2025

As several supplements included with this release get into, rape revenge films are a subgenre unto themselves, and Ms. 45 may forever be the paradigmatic example of that particular idiom for many. Ms. 45 had a 2014 release in 1080 from Drafthouse Films, but Arrow is revisiting this notorious title in both 1080 and 4K (in separate standalone editions), with a new 4K restoration off of the original camera negative and Arrow's typically bounteous supply of bonus content.

As mentioned above, Ms. 45 had a 1080 release over a decade ago courtesy of Drafthouse Films. Michael Reuben's Ms .45 Blu-ray review provides a plot recap, list of supplements and Michael's reaction to the technical presentation.

Ms .45 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ms. 45 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow offers the same perfect bound collector's booklet in both their standalone 1080 and 4K releases of this title, which includes the following information about the presentation:

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 film 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 colour graded at Resillion.

All materials source dor this new mater were made available by Giant Pictures via Warner Bros.

This new restored master was reviewed by Sean Williams and approved by Director Abel Ferrara.

Michael was reasonably well pleased with Drafthouse's 1080 presentation, but I'd suggest simply comparing some of the screenshots here with those accompanying Michael's review to see what an improvement has been made with this release, especially with regard to color timing. Many of Michael's screenshots strike me as being pretty skewed toward yellow and rather bright (despite Michael's comment about the muted palette), and both of those situations have definitely been altered for this release, I would state for the better. The noticeably darker presentation here probably inherently offers better suffusion, but commendably there is really no concurrent loss of shadow detail or any crushing in evidence in the many dimly lit moments. As Michael mentioned in his review, grain can be quite thick at times, but it is resolved organically throughout this presentation. As tends to be the case with me personally, I probably preferred the look of grain in this 1080 version more than in Arrow's 4K UHD presentation. Unsurprisingly given the above information from Arrow, there are none of the blemishes on tap here that Michael mentioned in his review of the Drafthouse release (I did notice what looks like a very small smudge or speck of dirt on the lens toward the right of the frame in an early bathroom scene).

Ms .45 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ms. 45 features an LPCM Mono track that has some of the same "baked in" issues Michael mentions with regard to the track on the old Drafthouse Films 1080 release (like occasional loose sync and varying ambience for looped material), but which provides a good accounting of another "era specific" score from Joe Delia, as well as the glut of sound effects that accompany Thana's "adventures" out in the "wild". One of the really provocative things about the film is how Thana is almost totally mute, consigning "dialogue" mostly to a lot of virtual monologues by various characters (many male) "aimed" at Thana. All spoken material is delivered cleanly and clearly, albeit with some of those aforementioned variances. Optional English subtitles are available.

Ms .45 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: More information on the supplements ported over from the old Drafthouse Films 1080 release can be found in the above linked review by Michael.

• Audio Commentary is by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, whose expertise courtesy of her books Rape Revenge Films: A Critical Study and Cultographies: Ms. 45 is on fine display here.


• Interviews

Director Abel Ferrara (HD; 7:45)




Composer Joe Delia (HD; 10:06)




Creative Consultant Jack MacIntyre (HD; 10:32)

• The Voice of Violence (HD; 18:56) is a new visual essay by BJ Colangelo.


• Where the Dream Went to Die (HD; 15:55) is a new visual essay by Kat Ellinger.


• Zoë XO (HD; 6:21) is the first of two pretty remarkable shorts by Paul Rachman, this one featuring Zoë's husband Robert Lund.


• Zoë Rising (HD; ) is the second Rachman, this one featuring Zoë's mother Barbara Lekberg as well as a vintage recording of a pretty astounding piano piece Zoe wrote when she was very young.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:44)


• Image Gallery (HD)

This is another very handsomely packaged Limited Edition release from Arrow with some significant non disc swag. An O ring slip encloses a slipbox that itself encloses a keepcase, perfect bound collector's book and a double sided fold out poster which offers the same two image options as the reversible keepcase sleeve. The collector's book is unusually excellent, and the good news is it appears to reproduce all of the writing that Michael was so understandably enthused about that accompanied the Drafthouse Films 1080 release, albeit here with slightly different article titles. The biggest news with regard to the collector's book is that it also includes new writing by Robert Lund as well as previously unseen photographs of Zoë.

Ms .45 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Zoë Tamerlis Lund has understandably become an iconic cult figure, and this new edition of her trailblazing performance should only further burnish her reputation. Arrow once again is providing cult film fans with a release sporting secure technical merits and a very appealing and informative array of both on disc and non disc supplements. Highly recommended.