Movie Review: Love and a .45

Love and a .45 

Trimark Pictures, USA, 1994.

Friendly outlaw Watty Watts (Gil Bellows) and his sexy girlfriend Starlene Cheatham (Renée Zellweger) make a living by robbing convenience stores. Everything they need in the life is love and a .45. Watty has a rule of never making a robbery with a loaded gun so no one can get hurt. He has debts to mobsters so he has to make a robbery with his psychotic junkie friend Billy (Rory Cochrane). That's a bad idea as Billy snaps and shoots the cashier girl. 

Watty Watts

Starlene Cheatham

Billy Mack Black

Chased by Billy, crazy gangsters and dirty cops Watty and Starlene have to flee. Things get worse and soon the bodies start to pile up when meth-head mobsters Dinosaur Bob (Jeffrey Combs)  and Creepy Cody (Jace Alexander) join the chase. Due the true crime TV coverage Watty and Starlene become local celebrities.

Dinosaur Bob  and Creepy Cody

Made in the wake of ultraviolent crime films "Wild at Heart" "Reservoir Dogs" and "True Romance" this is not bad lower budget example of the genre. With good characters and fun dialogue it is one of the better Tarantino imitations. It is not very well known film but has become a kind of cult classic and not only because of Renée Zellweger's role as hottie Texas outlaw. This was one of Renée Zellweger's bigger roles before becoming an actor in  romantic comedies and drama movies so it is quite different film to see her in. Rockabilly and psychobilly filled soundtrack is good. The story is pleasantly sleazy white trash crime story with dark humour and entertaining dialogue. The characters are crazy and over the top. Billy is wild as insane and unpredictable criminal, a perfect nutcase. Road movie crime film veteran Peter Fonda appears as Starlenes crippled hippie dad Vergil and 'Re-animator' Jeffrey Combs as mob enforcer Dinosaur Bob who sticks to his old habits and still likes to play with needles.

Peter Fonda as Vergil Cheatham

Rating: Good

Starring: Gil Bellows, Renée Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, Jeffrey Combs, Jace Alexander, Ann Wedgeworth, Peter Fonda, Tammy Le Blanc, Wiley Wiggins, Jack Nance, Charlotte Ross, Michael Bowen, Scott Roland, Todd Conner, Richard Rothenberg, Stopher Finley, Brad Leland, Augustin Solis, Kevin Berve, Reverend Horton Heat, Darin Scott, C.M. Talkington 

Director: C.M. Talkington