There’s been quite a few articles about the importance of collecting physical media and rise of boutique labels in the last few months. Most of the focus is on Blu-ray collectors preserving films. If there’s one thing a boutique label can do with an obscure title is to give it a reason to be seen. There are plenty of obscure films on the major free streaming sites. But how often do you really click on obscure titles that don’t feature recognizable actors? Even if you do click, do you have a sense of why the film is being offered? A boutique label gives context to the film with the bonus features. You also get a sense that the film is important to someone at the label since they’re willing to release the film. Deep In the Heart (released in England as Handgun) is a film that would be passed over if it was part of the thousands of options on a streaming site. As part of a Blu-ray with bonus features, it is revived for the viewer who might have missed it when it was released back in the winter of 1984 (or Spring of 1983 in England). Deep In the Heart is film about Texas, guns, narcissism and justice.
Kathleen Sullivan (Jaws: The Revenge‘s Karen Young) has moved from Boston to teach high school history in Dallas, Texas. She attends a cookout and meets Larry (The Day After‘s Clayton Day). He’s a bit flirty with her. The good-looking blonde guy feels like he’s a catch since he’s a Yale educated lawyer who wears a Members Only jacket. He does have a strange way of hitting on her. Larry talks about the history of Colt revolvers. He swears her students could learn a lot about history from his antique guns. She invites him to come to her class and bring a few rare guns to show off. Imagine a world where show in tell involves bringing real weapons into the classroom. We know there’s something off with him. During a pep rally, Larry’s POV is of the teenage cheerleaders. He does show off his guns in the classroom and Kathleen doesn’t completely freak out. She’s intrigued by the guy.
One night without her, Larry and his buddies end up at a Foxy Boxing match. Women in white thin tanktops get sweaty while punching each other with large gloves. It’s like a wet t-shirt contest with a beating. Larry acts as manager for one of the girls. He doesn’t do anything wild since he’s got a woman. Even though she is not romantically interested in Larry, Kathleen still enjoys being around the lawyer. This turns into a bad things when she drops by his house one night. Larry decides he’s going to take the relationship to the next level. Kathleen doesn’t want to make out. Larry breaks out one of his guns as a mood enhancer. He also lets her know how Texas doesn’t care about gun violence. She gives in. Later when she tries to go to the police, she discovers how they really can’t help her since she wasn’t attacked by a stranger and willingly dropped by Larry’s house. What is she going to do? She joins Larry’s gun club and learns how to hit the targets. Is Larry watching her training to kill him?
Deep In The Heart is a remarkable film that didn’t get much of a release in America. It’s extremely honest in its depiction of Kathleen as an assault victim. She does not have a recourse against Larry expect taking the law into her own hands. It’s not an exploitation film such as I Spit On Your Grave. Director Tony Garnett doesn’t make the scene explicit like most grindhouse films. There’s a lot of the film that has a documentary feel including the high school rally, the Foxy Boxing and Kathleen’s first trip to a Texas gun store. She’s amazed that she doesn’t have to do much to buy her first weapon.
The film really gets into the gun culture of Texas. There’s a great musical moment with a song by Virgil Beckham that declares “God, guts and guns/Gonna keep our country strong” and then warns that Congress is trying to take them all away. There’s even a part of the song asking a senator about what he’d do if his house was robbed, and family violated. How come Kid Rock hasn’t covered this song? Larry and his pals wear “Texas Secede!” t-shirts. One of the gun club members goes on about the government falling apart, minorities riot and she’ll need to kill to survive. This film might be 40 years old, but this is still Texas of the 21st Century.
Deep In The Heart finally gets a chance to be fully appreciated with this Blu-ray. The bonus features give us a sense of what Tony Garnett was making and why it was too much for studio folks in the early ’80s. Karen Young goes through a lot on the screen from happy to victim to vengeance filled. Clayton Day gives a truly creepy performance as the self-centered attacker. After his initial assault, he lays in bed and questions why Kathleen wasn’t more eager to hook up with him. He asks if she had any trauma when it comes to being intimate. He’s oblivious to the fact that he and his gun have just given her a traumatic event. He makes us so want Kathleen to not back down when she gets deep into embracing her firearms training. He needs to be taken out to stop him from claiming another victim. Deep In The Heart is a revenge movie that so deserves a revival via Blu-ray.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 4K restoration off the original 35mm camera negative gives off so much detail of this time in Texas. You can read all the t-shirts clearly as well as the Tab cans. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono. The sound is clear when the guns are being fired. The movie is subtitled.
Audio Commentary by Erica Shultz and Chris O’Neil goes into a biography of Tony Garnett. We learn about his time working with Ken Loach for nearly 15 years. You can see a bit of Louch’s influence in this film. Garnett passed away in 2020. They discuss how Larry becomes so unlikeable before the crucial scene.
Archival Interview with writer/director/producer Tony Garnett (2:09) has him talk about what got him to make the film. He talks about coming from a “non-gun culture” and how he noticed the guns when he arrived in America. He talks about his assistant director in Texas having an arsenal in his home.
Images Gallery (3:58) is a montage of posters, artwork, lobby cards, production booklet, newspaper advertisements, VHS boxes, press photos and behind the scenes shots.
Theatrical Trailer (2:29) opens a warning that “this could have been a love story,” but turns into a nightmare.
Fun City Editions present Deep In the Heart (Handgun). Directed by Tony Garnett. Screenplay by Tony Garnett. Starring Karen Young, Clayton Day, Ben Jones & Suzie Humphreys. Running Time: 100 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: April 2, 2024.
