Gun Crazy

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Gun Crazy

Released Jan 20, 1950

1h 27m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

When gun-obsessed pacifist Bart Tare (John Dall) witnesses expert shooter Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) demonstrate her firearm prowess at a carnival one night, it's love at first sight. Aimless Bart joins the traveling show and begins a romance with Annie, but her dangerously rebellious spirit soon gets them both fired. After eloping, the young lovers embark on an armed robbery spree, managing to elude the authorities until Annie insists on pulling one last job.

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Critics Consensus

Well-acted and strikingly filmed, Gun Crazy (Deadly Is the Female) delves into the darkness of human nature with noir-fueled B-movie flair.

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Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

Dall is particularly good as the boy who only feels important with a gun in his hands, and Miss Cummins, a pleasant surprise histrionically as the girl who doesn't give a hoot about anything except John, money and not getting caught.

Sep 15, 2021

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Mae Tinee

Chicago Tribune

John Dall docs fine acting in this crime melodrama, which is frequently better than many of the more elaborate and expensive films on the same subject.

Sep 15, 2021

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Marjory Adams

Boston Globe

For the most part, the film seems to be one that you've seen before.

Sep 14, 2021

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... the greatest of the criminal lovers-on-the-run thriller, explodes onto the screen in a fury of sex and guns and love and violence... a masterpiece of style and a blast of cinematic ecstasy on a budget barely bigger than a B movie.

May 4, 2024

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Justine Smith

Vague Visages

In the film’s misty final stretch, the characters are lost in a dense fog. They anticipate their own demise, but they latch onto their weapons knowing very well that surrendering is no longer an option...

Nov 21, 2023

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

A vivacious, visually exciting noir.

Rated: A

Nov 23, 2022

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Audience Member

Lands in the Top-50 list of best film noirs in my opinion. Nicely paced, the action never really stops. Original screen-play and top notch acting make it a winner from every angle. It's one of those movies you'll never forget that you have seen, even years later after you've come across the title again.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/25

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Insomniac X

Bonnie & Clyde style romance between a conflicted obsessive and a deeply corrupt femme fatale. Fuller does an excellent job of developing his male lead through the childhood sequence in the film's opening, but leaves the backstory of his leading lady mostly opaque, reducing her motivations to simple short-sighted greed. Though she primarily drives the story's action, her character is missing the depth needed to give it much meaning. Despite its shortcomings, Gun Crazy is a decent thrill ride with some exciting moments.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/16/25

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Anthony J

Sure it has its stylistic moments - lots of them actually- but the film is badly dated and the often corny acting undercuts the 'art' of it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/17/25

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mark g

This film is subtle brilliance. I think too many people don't see the forest through the trees here. It's a film noir fairy tale, and that is how it should be perceived. The characters are just that, characters, not meant to be taken literally.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

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acsdoug D

I didn't find John Dall particularly believable as a tough guy armed robber on the lam. Peggy Cummins is good though, and it's a good story, has a real Bonnie and Clyde feel to it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/26/24

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Abe A

Utterly boring and predictable pulp, and not even particularly well-acted. The more I watched, the less sense it made and more over-the-top it traveled. At least it was shortish at 87 minutes, but was still about 30 minutes too long.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/21/24

Full Review

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Joseph H. Lewis

Director

Peggy Cummins

Annie Laurie Starr

John Dall

Bart Tare

Berry Kroeger

Packett

Morris Carnovsky

Judge Willoughby

Anabel Shaw

Ruby Tare Flagler

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Synopsis

When gun-obsessed pacifist Bart Tare (John Dall) witnesses expert shooter Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) demonstrate her firearm prowess at a carnival one night, it's love at first sight. Aimless Bart joins the traveling show and begins a romance with Annie, but her dangerously rebellious spirit soon gets them both fired. After eloping, the young lovers embark on an armed robbery spree, managing to elude the authorities until Annie insists on pulling one last job.

Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Producer: Frank King, Maurice King
Screenwriter: MacKinlay Kantor, MacKinlay Kantor, Dalton Trumbo
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: King Brothers Productions
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 20, 1950, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 27m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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