Directed by Joseph H. Lewis | USA | 87 mins

This explosive potboiler ran as a B-picture when it first debuted, but became an undeniable influence on the development of the subgenre. Even more so than films like Detour and They Live by Night, Gun Crazy lays bare the American obsession with cars, guns, and sex. Peggy Cummins and John Dall portray a couple of fugitive criminals whose intense sexual chemistry is ignited and fueled almost entirely by their fetish for guns. Director Lewis told Cummins to play her part like a dog "in heat" and Dall like he'd "never been so hard," resulting in a pair of charged performances that sell what the script, written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo under a pseudonym, could not explicitly talk about.

Written by Ben Rowe.

Part of our Lovers on the Run Series.

Follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates.

---

In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honour and acknowledge that this screening takes place on Moh’kinsstis and the traditional Treaty 7 territory, as well as the oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation within Alberta District 6. Finally, we acknowledge all Nations, Indigenous and non, who live, work and play, as well as help steward this land, honour and celebrate this territory.