The violent story of two young lovers on a doomed journey outside of the law, Love & a .45 is perhaps most notable for the appearance of a pre-fame Renee Zellweger. The premise is not particularly original but has spawned some great movies over the years, from Bonnie and Clyde to A Life Less Ordinary. CM Talkington's film, however, fails to break free of cliché--whether it be through its cinematic techniques (voice-over, Tom Verlaine's blasting rock score) or Texan white-trash characterisation. There is much inspiration to be drawn from such a background (witness Brad Pitt's brooding performance in Kalifornia) but Gil Bellows simply isn't given the raw materials to work with. As for Zellweger, she spends most of the film wearing very few clothes, waving a gun around and generally being a million miles away from Bridget Jones. For a much better example of the couple-on-the-road movie look to True Romance or Jonathan Demme's underrated classic Something Wild. As for Love & A .45, it misses the target.
On the DVD: the DVD format does enhance Love & A .45 to some degree. The picture quality is as bold and brash as the movie itself, and Verlaine's score sounds fantastic in Dolby Digital. Other than this slight additional polish to the original product, there's little of substance here.--Phil Udell
Movie Database
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