Love and a .45
Tags: violence, murder

Plot synopsis:
A young couple in love—Watty Watts (Gil Bellows) and Starlene (Renée Zellweger)—are planning a successful convenience store robbery. The next day, they are paid a visit by two collectors for a local mobster whom Watty has borrowed money from to buy an engagement ring for Starlene. They are called Creepy Cody and Dinosaur Bob, and they inform Watty that he must get the money very soon. This is followed by a visit by Watts' drug-addicted former prison buddy, Billy Mack Black (Rory Cochrane), who has a plan for a big score. Against the wishes of Starlene, Watty goes along with the plot and the robbery fails, leading to the stoned clerk being shot and killed by Billy, though they do clear the safe of the money.
Following the murder Billy pulls his gun on Watty and forces him to go to a restaurant to eat breakfast, where Billy again pulls his gun on Watty. Fearing for his life, Watty attacks Billy with a fork and escapes. He then returns to his trailer and Starlene, asks her to marry him and tells her they have to flee to Mexico. They are then paid a visit by two police officers, who try to kill them as revenge for the murder and robbery. Starlene manages to shoot one of the officers, who accidentally shoots the other one, and the couple escape.
They then make their way toward Mexico pursued by Billy Mack, Bob and Creepy and the police. The two are romanticized in the crime obsessed media and become celebrities. On the way they stop in to see Starlene's parents, (Peter Fonda and Ann Wedgeworth), who are later found by Billy, Bob and Creepy, leading to a violent showdown in which all are killed except Billy.
Billy catches up with Watty and Starlene and the three of them cross into Mexico together. There the three engage in a showdown in which Starlene eventually kills Billy by injecting him with an overdose of high-powered speed.
The two lovers take some liquid LSD given to them by Starlene's father and drive off into the sunset to start a new life.

Review: Tarantino-esq action thriller which is worth a look and will not disappoint fans of Quentin's films particularly True Romance.
It has (lots of ) violence, rapid gun fire, white trash characters and a large dollop of that comic book humour that has got Quent where he is today.
It is easy to see that this film takes its inspiration from the aforementioned film, but it does stand on its own feet as the script and the action is good enough to entertain you throughout.
Bellows and Zellwegger are good in the leads and the supporting Rory Cochrane is great fun as their psychotic madman 'friend' out to settle a few old scores.
Anyone who like their films stacked with dark humour and well-written characters should check this out!
It's "Natural Born Killers-esque" in style here and there, but was actually made before that movie.
Unfair because the movie was completed *before* Natural Born Killers was released, and inaccurate because the characters are fundamentally different.
Natural Born Killers was about two people who were by nature violent and evil, whereas this movie is about two who are by nature *not* violent.Check out the movie yourself, and rather than listen to accusations that it's a rip-off of movies that actually came after it, give it a shot as what it is -- a better-than average entry in a long-standing film genre, the outlaw couple on the run.
Note one item that struck me as an inside joke -- the addition of Peter Fonda, the star of one movie that truly *is* a predecessor of this one: Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry (1974)..
Some lazy and uninformed Critics and Reviewers can't help themselves and immediately lash out at this Movie's similarity to others Directed by Tarantino, Rodriguez, Stone, and Lynch.
Truth of the Matter is that when Films are so near in release dates it is unfair and somewhat inaccurate to claim thievery.It is more likely and a bit Metaphysical that these Creative Folks were all tapping into that Akashic Record thing or what may be called the Hundred Monkey Theory.
This is a very good, Fun-Frolic Road Movie with White Trash Anti-Heroes and a Kick-Ass Soundtrack.
More quirky characters than have a right to exist in any one Movie and some Witty Banter that makes it all quite a Rolicking Ride.It is over the top, around the bend, down the rabbit hole and off into outer space.
It was an easy thing to miss and dismiss this in the Mid-Nineties but if nothing else, the Success of Renee Zellweger will have the curious seeking this one out as a Career Starter and while she is a standout here, this Movie has more to offer and does so with layers of interest far beyond anything as shallow as Star Power.
I saw this movie late one night and was pleasantly surprised at how very good it was.
Of course, it lacked in certain areas, and could have been better developed but I believe that if the budget was better, it would have succeeded.This movie has a decent plot, really well-developed characters and very creative screen shots.
I recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in Tarantino's style but by a different director.
This film is right up there with Pulp Fiction, Snatch, Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels, even Fight Club.I am not gonna do a critique here, but it has it all - its funny at times, and deadly serious at others.
I'd never heard of the Reverend Horton Heat or Mazzy Star, but they rock this flick.Frankly I am very surprised that we haven't heard from the Director in any other films.
If you want to criticize a movie for looking like Reservoir Dogs or whatever...dont get this one.
It's a very good film and the acting is great.
funny and unique twist on the genre with great characters and some very, very funny moments.Similar to Tarantino, and miles above Stone's horrible Natural Born Killers, Love and a .45 is a delight..
After seeing it, I highly recommend it to fans of the crime/road trip genre.Gil Bellows and Renee Zellweger are Texas lovers in trouble with the law after killing some cops after him for a robbery/murder.
For the genre I thought it was pretty good.It's not so much a Tarentino ripoff, as has been suggested, as another in a long line of White Trash on the Road movies which started back with Bonnie & Clyde & Easy Rider and continues with movies like Freeway, Natural Born Killers etc.The characters were great.
They're supposed to be overdrawn and the balance between the main characters bad deeds and that piece of goodness they have that no one else in the film possess was struck just right.Rightly so Renee Zellweger has built a career since this but I'm surprised that the Director, CM Talkington went nowhere from here and the lead Gil Bellows (who is charming here) has had little success either.And who would have thought that Creepy would go on to direct a ton of TV shows!.
Though not as multi-faceted & complex as Tarantino's masterpiece, the critically acclaimed "Pulp Fiction", "Love & a .45" filmed here in Texas,(Austin/Bastrop area), will keep the viewer glued from beginning to end.
Each actor brought their own concept of "Texan" to the screen.I've read a lot of reviews here on the IMDb about how this movie is a rip-off of "Pulp Fiction" -- "NBK", another film comparison made here, was also released in that same year...my question is this: How can it be a "rip-off" if all 3 films were released the same year?
Why not reference the 1992 film by Robert Rodriguez-"El Mariachi", exploding on the scene with his own brand of creative artistic Texas filming...and let's not forget about that OTHER famous Texas Director, RichardLinklater who made his debut that following year with his 1993 explosive hit "Dazed and Confused"...where Rory Cochrane plays an unforgettable role.Let's just say that 1994 was THE year for Creative Artistic Direction.One thing I do want to ask: Did Big Red Bottling Co. have anything to do with the making of this film?
Following in the footsteps of low budget movies like El Mariachi, Love and a.45 is a very entertaining movie if you forget about comparing it to stuff like Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers.
Like Kalifornia and Natural Born Killers, this movie is about a trailer park couple, a convenience store robber and his girlfriend played by Rene Zellweger.
This is one of the few Zellweger roles I've seen where she isn't all quirky and awkward, instead she plays the more provocative 'Juliette Lewis' white trash role.
Second, the characters are pretty unique in this movie.
Renee Zellweger's voicebox-less hippy father is worth the rental of this movie alone, VERY entertaining.
Aside from some predictable elements, this movie is incredibly entertaining and definitely worth a rental.
If you like movies such as Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers and the like, go ahead and check this out.
After seeing this movie again today and thinking back at the time when i first watch it on VHS back in 95 ,do i realize it is part guilty of me wanted to try out dope for the first time!!(gladly kicked that habit).
Its about two sweethearts on the run from the law & some creepy speed freaks after the two companions Watty Watts(Gill Bellows)and Billy Mack Black(Rory Cochrane) attending in a robbery gone bad.
This is also one of Renée Zellweger first major movie role..
PS  IFC showed an Exit Poll had 75% of viewers believing thatthe two characters were not guilty -- seen the TV poll within film..
The truth is Love & a 45' is a highly entertaining road movie that may be compared to Natural Born Killers, Freeway, and others but has the strength the stand on it's own two feet.
Personally I think it's a great ride and after watching the comparison films thirty or forty times I dont see any comparison to speak off.
The film is full of quirky characters and dialogue that will keep you entertained and enough violence to satisfy an action junkie.
What i really love about the film is Renee Zellwegger.
Hard to believe that this essentially came out simultaneously with Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers, since it shares so much with them it's eerie.
This movie is very much Natural Born Killers made with heart, soul and intelligence and with elements of Pulp Fiction mixed in.
Supposedly it was making some big statements about society, but it was really just an excuse for a lot of completely pointless and excessive violence committed by totally unlikeable characters.
Unexpectedly, I actually liked this film more than Pulp fiction.
Again, the best way I can put it is that it's what Natural Born Killers should have been..
Total white trash movie, notable for vintage Zellweger performance, which instantly drew me in when I encountered the trailer on some other DVD, that scene where she eagerly jumped onto Watty on the couch, all long legs and bare feet.
I love road movies and I have seen just about every one that has come out in the nineties.
Love and a .45 rates above Lewis & Clark & George, but definitely below U Turn and Natural Born Killers.I've noticed that biggest problem filmmakers have with this genre is ending the movie.
The climax has nothing new and is actually kind of corny, not to mention the rip on Tarantino and John Woo with the three-way gun pointing (you'll understand when you see the movie).
Yes, we should thank the movie God for PULP FICTION, but it shouldn't have made people forget about this little cult item here.
Yeah my dad was in the movie, he worked for Bigred and there is a scene where they are showing the front of a little store in the middle of nowhere, and a Bigred truck drives right in front of the screen....and my dad was driving the truck.
but i will say it is a bit corny and the filming is not the best but it is still a really great movie so see it and look for my dad!.
This is the kind of quirky, edgy, but ultimately warm hearted independent movie that I grew up watching, long before the Neil LeButes and Kevin Smiths of the world sucked all the fun out of everything.
"Love and a .45" is no great shakes, but, if anything, it will make you nostalgic for the good ol' days of independent cinema, back when indies were sorta...you know...fun and wacky..
Texas convenience store robber Gil Bellows (as Watford "Watty" Watts) and his blonde sexpot Renee Zellweger (as Starlene "Star" Cheatham) get into trouble when a hold-up gets unexpected bloody.
Next to break the rule is crazy strung-out accomplice Rory Cochrane (as Billy Mack Black)...The bloody mess results in Bellows and Ms. Zellweger leaving their romantic trailer park for Mexico, in a baby blue 1972 Plymouth.
Bellows and Zellweger are and attractive couple, but do not even approach older outlaws "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) or contemporary "Natural Born Killers" Mickey and Mallory (1994).
Consisting of appropriate oldies and original music by Tom Verlaine, the soundtrack, is a main strength.***** Love and a .45 (9/10/94) C.M. Talkington ~ Gil Bellows, Renee Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, Jeffrey Combs.
Fairly good independent film in the same vein as "Natural Born Killers", but with the exception of Peter Fonda, contained an unknown cast.
She steals the film from her co-stars and frame by frame takes over the movie.
Oh well, whoever she was...she was looking pretty good in this movie..
I think it would be only fair to say that it's a minor entry, and it doesn't compare too favourably with those other movies mentioned above.Also in common with these other flicks, this one has a pretty strong emphasis on humour too.
But the two gangsters and the psychotic 'friend' are mainly pretty annoying; while Peter Fonda's hippy dad may talk through a voice box but that accounts for one initial smile and gets old fast - he's essentially a one joke character.The story is a fairly generic bit of crime fiction.
M. Talkington didn't go on to forge a film career, as his direction of everything isn't too good.
The only reason to watch this is to complete a study of Renee Zellewegger's work.It's a B movie.
Good Peter Fonda character, and Zellweger is pleasant to look at, but this movie was weak.
The movie has no core, no reason to exist; it's gimmick piled on gimmick piled on gimmick.Gil Bellows is a personable actor out of his element here.
After that it's just Talkington ripping off or paying homage to, well, let's see - "Raising Arizona", "Reservoir Dogs", "Bonnie and Clyde", "Badlands", "True Romance", "Wild At Heart", "Natural Born Killers" and on and on and on.
So-so Gen X road movie saved by a cool soundtrack and a great performance by Jeffrey Combs..
The video case for 'Love and a .45' managed to name-drop 'True Romance', AND 'Pulp Fiction' AND 'Natural Born Killers', always a bad sign in my book (what I call "the Tarantino blurb rule"), but this movie surprisingly a) doesn't completely suck, and b)isn't really all that Tarantino-like.
I'm not saying it's actually all that good mind you, but it's passable, especially if you're a fan of Jeffrey Combs or Peter Fonda.
Personally I think the movie was more inspired by David Lynch's 'Wild At Heart' than Tarantino (and let's face it, of those three movies mentioned only 'True Romance' actually preceded it, and the "lovers on the run" genre is an established one, with important milestones like 'Badlands' and 'The Getaway' in the 70s, 'Bonnie And Clyde' before that in the 60s, and even the underrated 'Gun Shy' back in the 40s).
Gil Bellows, best known now for Ally McBeal, and Renee Zellweger, now a big time Hollywood star, are the white trash lovers, and Rory Cochrane ('Dazed And Confused') Bellows ex-partner who is out to kill them.
Writer/Director C.M. Talkington drops in little in-jokes referring to 'Pink Flamingos' and 'Easy Rider', which made me think he was pretty hip, but sadly the movie really fails to add anything new or interesting to this Gen X road movie genre, unlike Gregg Araki's subsequent 'The Doom Generation' or Matthew Bright's 'Freeway' and 'Freeway 2', which are kinda similar movies but much better.
The only real reason to watch for the cool soundtrack and some of the character actors in supporting roles.
The supporting cast includes a great turn by horror legend Jeffrey Combs as speed freak Dinosaur Bob, cult figure Peter Fonda as Zellweger's burned out hippie father, and bit parts from David Lynch regular Jack Nance ('Eraserhead'), Ann Wedgeworth ('Scarecrow'), Michael Bowen ('Jackie Brown'), Wiley Wiggins ('Waking Life') and Charlotte Ross ('NYPD Blue').
It's not an absolute stinker, but it's just not all that good and there are many more enjoyable and interesting movies out there in a similar vein..
there was a heavy whiff of "Natural Born Killers" of course, but it really almost copied "Pulp Fiction" exactly.
"Love..." seems to be a caricature of Pulp Fiction, especially regarding the soundtrack, which was good but could not even hope to salvage a particularly horrific script.
If the people it depicts really exist then same folk will like this movie.
The acting is good and exciting.Early to mid 20s lovers especialized in 'risk management' as Watty watts says in the start..
This is a very entertaining movie, but it copies the style of Quentin Tarantino when you look at the dialogs, the kind of story (a lot like True Romance and Natural Born Killers) and the use of surf music.
The direction looks a lot like Oliver Stone's in Natural Born Killers (shots of view, amateur-style image).
LOVE AND A .45 is a hip electric road trip road movie from hell that takes place on the black top back country roads and highways of the great state of Texas and all the way to Mexico.
With brilliant acting as well as casting, this shotgun blast of a movie was released in 1994 by genius Texas director C.M. Talkington, whose amazing writing, characters, plot and style make this film pop with crisp imagery and storytelling.
Vibrant cameos by Peter Fonda and Anne Wedgeworth, and simply perfect classic Texas outlaw roles Watty and Starlene, played by Gill Bellows and Renee Zellweger deliver.
Every single performance adds the heart of truth to this entirely original classic violent modern Texas gangster film.
Not to mention, an amazing soundtrack that adds a thump to your stomach and a rockabilly jingle of guitar by the likes of the Reverend Horton Heat, who also plays music behind strippers in the movie.
Zellweger's character is Starlene Cheatham .
One of Watty's ex-con friends is Rory Cochrane as Billy Mack Black , just about as weird a character as you will find.
It seems it is supposed to be a dark comedy of sorts, I enjoyed seeing Zellweger in her early 20s and just getting started in her career, but I could not recommend this to anyone for any other reason..
A charismatic and Eastern philosophy following convenience store robber and his aspiring movie-star girlfriend have to go on the run after a run-in from the cops caused by their friend Billy Mack making the mistake of loading a gun and getting high before a robbery.
He's the really interesting character here; Starlene (Renee Zellweger) really slows the movie down with her incessant rambling about being on television.
that's about it, really, as far as what this movie offers that's different from anything else.Well, it does have a splendid Southern-themed soundtrack.I think, overall, that the movie was a decent ride but that the director should have removed himself a bit away from an obvious liking to his characters.