Todd McCarthy of '' Variety '' wrote that the film is " competently made " but " lacks the exhilaration of a first-class lovers-on-the-run crime drama " . Kenneth Turan of the '' Los Angeles Times '' wrote a positive review and stated , " Made with sureness and authority , this film does n't condescend to either its characters or their relationship , and that counts for a lot . " Turan wrote that although the film " is very efficiently made ( and stylishly photographed by Lisa Rinzler , one of a very few women cinematographers ) it does occasionally overreach , going a little heavy on the rural grotesques as well as the romantic nature of the Anita/Howard relationship . On the other hand , it is the film 's ability to mostly show us that relationship on its own terms , to reveal both why these two are made for each other and why their very closeness inevitably leads to disaster , that is its strongest suit . With moments of odd , dark humor sprinkled among the violence , this traditional study of psycho kittens in love breaks just enough new ground to be an impressive piece of work . " Peter Travers of '' Rolling Stone '' called '' Guncrazy '' a " knock-out B movie " . Vincent Canby of '' The New York Times '' called the film " very accomplished and " cruelly entertaining " , and praised the " excellent screenplay " . Canby called the film " a remarkably rich melodrama with a strong narrative line and vivid characters . There 's no waste space in this movie . Every second of its 97 minutes counts . " Hal Hinson of '' The Washington Post '' called the film a " source of constant surprise , " and wrote that Bright 's screenplay " gives the movie a strong sense of direction even when his characters are lost . Plus , Bright gives the actors some classic deadpan lines . " Marc Savlov of '' The Austin Chronicle '' gave the film three and a half stars out of five and wrote , " Barrymore proves -- once again -- that she 's better than 98 % of the teenage actresses out there ; she manages to make Anita simultaneously pathetic in her desperate neediness and powerful in her smoldering , turbo-charged teenage sexuality . " '' TV Guide '' gave the film three stars out of five and wrote , " Marketing-minded folks may be quick to position Guncrazy as a 90s take on Bonnie and Clyde ( 1967 ) , and its title is certainly meant to evoke Joseph H. Lewis 's 1949 classic Gun Crazy . But this film is by no means as brash , startling , or iconoclastic as either . " '' TV Guide '' also wrote , " Despite her character 's actions and circumstances , Barrymore brilliantly makes the audience believe Anita is not a slutty piece of trailer trash with her guileless , winning smile and chirpy good-heartedness . " Fred Beldin of AllMovie gave the film two and a half stars out of five and called it an " effective low-key thriller " . Beldin praised Barrymore 's performance and called Drago 's character " unforgettable " , stating that he played the role " with just the right combination of huckster con artist and hardcore Holy Roller . " For the 50th Golden Globe Awards ( held in 1993 ) , Barrymore was nominated for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film , but lost to Laura Dern
50th Golden Globe Awards
50th Golden Globe Awards
Guncrazy