For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I guess one could look at the Matthew Bright scripted, Tamra Davis directed Guncrazy as an updated-to-the-90's modern day Bonnie and Clyde where two down-on-their-luck youths(twenty-something LeGros, minor Barrymore), whose lives were disheveled by broken homes or troubled upbringing, form a fateful union where guns fall into their hands with crime certain to follow. LeGros, recently converted to Christianity while in prison on a murder charge, becomes pen pals to teenage Drew Barrymore(..it was a high school assignment to find a pen pal) whose mom ran out on her, and who is currently living with a loathsome lout once linked to mama.I think the brilliance of Bright's script is how he builds to the ultimate crescendo of violence which erupts at the end, showing through a series of circumstances which tragically befall them(..two high school cretins who will not listen to LeGros who demands for them to leave the premises, and how they're unwilling to listen due to their desire to proposition Barrymore, Barrymore's murder of her mother's lover after he rapes her, the resistance against parole officer Michael Ironside's demand for LeGros to return to jail until he can be moved elsewhere resulting in the murder of a cop, failed burglary at a bar, the inability to find Barrymore's mother in Fresno), that they were doomed to suffer an inevitable fate.They're very much victims of circumstance, a domino-effect-spiral culminating, bit by bit, until faced with a laundry list of criminal activities which follow one mistake upon another. What I admired about this particular film was the casting for the couple on the lam. Barrymore is adorable as a conflicted teenager, with a reputation for spreading her legs for many of the local boys, considered little more than trailer trash. She's without parental guidance or love, and LeGros fulfills these longings she has never known, he himself on the mend and hoping to find his place. Unlike the usual role of a recently released ex-con attempting to go straight, LeGros is handsome, modest, relatively pleasant and easy-going, not demanding anything of Barrymore but her love. He's not a monster, really, and quite vulnerable. He's also a virgin and impotent..which kind of adds a dynamic to his relationship to Barrymore for she's always been used for little more than sexual purposes. Joe Dallesandro has a very unflattering role as Barrymore's scum-bucket "father figure", a drunk pedophile who takes advantage of her(..and probably has perhaps contributed to why Barrymore is rather skewed in regards to her overview of men / boys;this has probably been occurring since Barrymore was a child), providing her with guidance in how to fire a gun properly.Guncrazy can probably be viewed as a precursor to Bright's wicked, acid-tongued Freeway, known as his masterpiece. As is evident in this film, Bright seems drawn to "derelicts to society", the undesirables who seem to eventually fall through the cracks and into a life of crime. The amusing aspect to me in this film is just how poor LeGros and Barrymore are as criminals..the bar scene a particular highlight in how the victims are able to guilt the duo into returning their cash! Good use of California locations and the cinematography is at times inventive while also capturing / casting certain areas in a rather unsavory light due to the characters focused on(..impoverished rural places outside cities and certain areas of urban squalor)such as Billy Drago(..another in his many customary weirdo roles)as a mechanic / preacher who gives LeGros a job, room, and board. Ironside has the role of a slightly contemptible parole officer, a bigot(..towards "white trash", characters Bright seems to embrace)who doesn't like the idea of his daughter(Ione Skye)hanging around with Barrymore, and doesn't trust LeGros. I really was drawn to the off-beat nature of the film and how it cares for it's leads..I mean, despite their faults, they tried to carve out a decent life for themselves, allowing their impulses to ruin any chance of co-existing in a harsh world.

I first saw Guncrazy a mere few days ago, not when it was originally aired on television. My first impression, just by looking at the cover of the DVD, was of your basic coming-of-age-movie, with the nice romantic story and twist of the lovers being gun-obsessed. I actually got more than I expected. Drew Barrymore breathed incredible life into the character of a teenager sexually abused by her guardian, and hated and bullied by her classmates. The disillusioned teen is under the impression that men are after one thing and one thing only, and couldn't possibly want her for anything else, aptly shown by a sequence of her handing herself over on a plate to two guys. For a project in her geography class, Barrymore's character Anita comes into contact with a convict by the name of Howard Hickock, and the two of them become intimate pen pals. On Howard being released from prison on parole, Anita gets him a job working with a local (slightly crazy) preacher, and he seems to be getting his life back on track. Anita and Howard fall more and more in love, and decide to marry. Obviously, this all goes horribly wrong the moment Anita confesses her big secret to Howard - she has killed her abusive guardian, and is hiding the body behind her trailer. This starts off a chain reaction of murders by Howard and Anita, leading them on the run across the country, in search of Anita's ever-absent mother. The final sequence was the most heartbreaking and beautiful in the whole movie. Anita and Howard break into the home of a woman they came across on their travels, who they know will be away, for safe shelter during the night. Inside, they watch family slide shows, wear expensive jewellery and clothes, and live like royalty - or, as Howard said, like "Nice people". The night seems perfect, and the couple seem at their happiest. It all turns horrible, with police catching up with the outlaws at the last minute. A slow-motion shoot-out between the cops and the lovers ends in tragedy, and will have tears welling up in your eyes. What made this movie great? The director doesn't start much action until about halfway into the movie, but the first half is just as enjoyable, as you watch the lover's relationship unfold and blossom. The second half sees their relationship mature, and it also sees Anita grow from naive teenager to young woman, and Howard grow more comfortable in their relationship. A coming-of-age movie indeed, and yet very, very different from what you will expect. An emotional journey, that spans lives and loves, and will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

"Guncrazy" is a mediocre movie at best, unfortunately. However, if you want to see a 17-year old Drew in (yet again) sexual situations (none of which are good), then this is the movie for you.It combines the "I married an ex-con", "I like guns", and "I'm a sexually troubled girl" plots into yet another movie.Directed by Tamra Davis, who made at least one pretty good movie ("Skipped Parts"), so she is not totally without talent. The movie was written by Matthew Bright, who wrote "Freeway" a few years earlier, so he has talent as well. Included are Drew Barrymore, Ione Skye and a couple other notable names, however, they display no real talents here.I guess the dialog is the weakest link, here. Some of it just sounds bad or out of place.There are no extra features, but the DVD is available for about $7.99. You could do worse, but not by much.

A sterling cast and a reasonably well written script lift this tale of teenagers on the run from the law into 'above average' territory. James LeGros (also memorable in Drugstore Cowboy) plays a paroled convict trying to get his life in order. Drew Barrymore is a confused teen who loves guns, and Warhol alum Joe Dalessandro is the scumbag who abuses her. When Drew and James hookup (shortly after she's offed Joe!) complications ensue. Guncrazy is predictable but entertaining and doesn't pander to it's audience, and it's a damn sight better than Natural Born Killers.