Here's a real 80's oddity for ya. If it weren't for Anchor Bay this bizarre film Handgun aka Deep in the Heart, could have been so far lost in the land of obscurity that quite possibly, it may have never surfaced on home video ever again, tragic indeed. Luckily (and oddly enough with little fan fare) Anchor Bay has released Handgun to DVD in a no frills edition and I was thankfully able to take a look at it. When all is said and done it's definitely an interesting enough film for me to recommend checking out.

Kathleen is a shy and reserved schoolteacher who appears to have a very positive outlook on life. We're given bits and pieces of information about her existence but nothing too rock solid, a lot has to be inferred. Through a very touching scene between Kathleen and her folks (a long distance phone call to be exact) we can see that she recently left home and is far enough away from her parents that a quick drive is out of the question. Kathleen is a somewhat religious girl (which appears to be so simply to appease her parents) and seems to have a very close relationship with both her father and mother. Kathleen is introduced to the smooth talking and ultra successful lawyer type Larry. Let me just say that it's evident from the get go that despite the fact that everybody seems to love Larry, he's really just a creep at heart. Kathleen and Larry form an odd relationship and go on a few dates and it's evident that Larry's interest lies much deeper than Kathleen's (either she's just being really nice, or she naively has no idea where Larry's intention's lie). On one of their dates Larry's advances become extremely violent and he ultimately winds up forcing Kathleen to spend the night and rapes her... twice. Kathleen is able to escape the evil clutches of Larry and is informed by both the church and authorities that she has very little or no recourse on this sad and unfortunate turn of events. The church practically flat out blames Kathleen herself and the authorities feel as if a respected attorney's word will hold more ground in court than that of a "spurned girlfriend's". Unable to find any help Kathleen begins a rigorous transformation, which includes a haircut (in an obvious attempt to make herself look less attractive... it works) and the purchase of a new handgun and some extensive training in the fine art of "shot-gunning".

Even as I write this I'm still finding Handgun to be a difficult film to dissect. It's more of a character study than anything else exploring many themes that are just as relevant to society today as they were nearly 20 years ago (maybe even more so today). The story takes place in Texas, and much of the film plays off as pro NRA propaganda. Everything (and I do mean everything) here is about guns and their place or purpose in society. Whether it's a discussion about Old West guns at a picnic or Larry demonstrating a selection of his antique guns for Kathleen's high school class (would this EVER happen today?) these little projectile monsters are everywhere. There's even vintage footage of a Texas State Fair from the 80's, yup you guessed it, more guns. The guts of the film primarily consist of Kathleen and her private lessons at the firing range and her bizarre transformation from the sweet girl next door to gun toting tomboy. I guess it makes sense, I mean the film is called Handgun after all. The film is executed in a very bizarre manner as well in that it plays off at times like a weird after school, special or a high school educational filmstrip on how to avenge your rapist by use of firearms. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I dug the film, but I'm not exactly sure why I dug it. It mesmerized and captivated me... but why? I found the characters interesting and fun to watch...but why? Despite the fact that Kathleen's gun training footage goes on for about 15 minutes too long, I couldn't turn away... but why? This film is truly an enigma as it's wholly fascinating and ultimately fulfilling... but why?

Character development is key in a film like this and I'm pleased to say that it's handled quite well here. Larry is a jerk from frame one, we know it while no one else does. Why? Because we see him leering at the cheerleaders and acting in an inappropriate manner while no one else does. This causes the suspense and tension that ultimately leads us to the sympathy that the viewer can't help but feel for poor Kathleen. But don't pity her here, she's a strong woman at heart and willing and able to fight back. The actual date rape is a truly terrifying scene. While the scene is not overly exploitative, it's disturbing enough that in retrospect, It's almost sickening to have seen Kathleen out on a date with Larry prior, especially when he lets her choose a cake from the dessert cart and then takes her disco dancing, arrrghhh! Of course let's not forget the bachelor party that includes an unforgettable scene of Foxy Boxing. One of the first ever of such incidents captured on film I believe... or perhaps not.

Anchor Bay has done a fine job in bringing this obscure gem of a film to DVD. Colors do remain a bit muted throughout, not quite as sharp as you may be used to. This could very well be a problem inherit in the original source material. I'm not quite sure, but the transfer is really pleasing nonetheless. There is really no evidence of print damage whatsoever, and only minimal amounts of grain seem to creep up from time to time.

Audio is presented in an admirable mono mix with clear dialogue, music and effects. There is really no distortion to speak of. Anchor Bay serves up another serviceable mono mix here.

Extras are limited to a theatrical trailer. It's evident from the trailer that the distributors had a hell of a time marketing this film (as I do dissecting it), they didn't know what direction to strike from. It's an odd film to say the least.

Was anybody out there waiting for this film to be released on DVD? If so, be sure to dig in, I'm sure you'll be pleased. This is a tough film to offer a blanket recommendation for. If you're anything like me you're always on the lookout for new and interesting titles to check out. Handgun may not be one of the best films I've seen recently, but it is interesting and entertaining enough for me to tell you to go ahead and take a look if it's something you've been considering. I'm acually anticipating another look at it real soon.