Black Widow (1987) User Reviews

An Unforgettable Neo-Noir

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 18 August 2012]

When the ambitious federal investigator Alexandra 'Alex' Barnes (Debra Winger) reads the cases of two wealthy men that have just died and left their fortunes to their younger and younger wives, she suspects that the woman might be the same. She believes that the woman might be killing the millionaires without a trace to inherit their fortunes.

Alex travels and tracks down the mysterious female inheritor Catharine Petersen (Theresa Russell) but she finds nothing about her identity. Alex believes that the Catharine might have traveled to Hawai and she takes vacation to follow her instincts. Alex finds and befriends Catharine in the hotel and becomes close to her. When Alex meets Catherine's boyfriend Paul Nuytten (Sami Frey), she has a crush on him. Will her passion for Paul and her friendship with Catharine jeopardize her investigation?

"Black Widow" is an unforgettable neo-noir of the 80's, with the sexy and gorgeous Theresa Russell and Debra Winger playing a cat-and-mouse game in the lead roles. This film is one of my favorite from the 80's and slightly recalls "Body Heat" from the early 80's. In those years, Theresa Russell was one of the sexiest actress of the cinema industry and the role of Catharine Petersen is tailored for her. Unfortunately the Brazilian DVD has no Extras. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Mistério da Viúva Negra" ("The Mystery of the Black Widow")

Worth watching again and again.

[gwickliffe · 7/10 · 26 January 2001]

I first saw this movie on cable, (HBO) and liked it instantly. The plot and characters were well written I thought and fine acting jobs by all. I was in high school when it came out and really liked the scuba scenes so I bought the movie on video. Since then I have watched it many times and have become a bigger fan. The biggest thing is how well I could identify with the characters. It draws you into watching just to see what's going to happen. I think if you like "Chinatown", you'll like this movie too. I think the ending works too, could be better but works well here. Best performance of Debra Winger except "An Officer and a Gentleman" And truly Thersa Russell's best performance I've ever seen her in. A good movie to watch when you're in the mood to stay home and watch a good well rounded, interesting movie. I still never tire of seeing it again.

Guilty pleasure

[Shinwa · 6/10 · 27 November 1999]

Hilariously contrived and utterly compelling, Black Widow is always worth a re-viewing when the video shelves are dry. It's beautifully filmed, competently acted, and contains some of the most rousingly misguided plot twists known to this cinephile.

No spoilers here, but the ending is a knee-slapper, as is the otherwise quite capable Theresa Russell's foray into a southern belle accent. It's all very slick, but in a good way, with the considerable lily gilded by attempts at intellectualizing a movie which could be refilmed with startlingly few changes for a Cinemax Late Night soft-core extravaganza. Kudos to Russell, of course, Winger, James Hong and Mary Woronov just for being Mary Woronov for at least one scene; it's just a shame that a movie which makes a stab at well-rounded female characters (at the very least by making the male characters so weak [truth is, I can scarcely remember the names of any of the male characters] that one cannot help but invest all subjectivity with the female characters) operates under the notion that the Debra Winger character discovers her womanhood vicariously through the exploits of the sensuous, if surprisingly (in context) asexual, man-killer Russell, which is not exactly the most progressive notion. Essential viewing nonetheless.

Stimulating film about obsession, nicely directed as a thriller by Bob Rafelson.

[TheVid · 29 January 2004]

Winger and Russell are sensational here, characteristically different yet essentially the same in nature. The sinister plot trappings and black widow symbolism keep the film lively but only serve to heighten the intriguing subtext of two women obsessed with success and competition. Winger is exceptional as always, and while Russell is notably uneven as usual, they both succeed admirably. All the supporting parts are brilliantly played. This is one of the finest and most enjoyable femme fatale films around. A widescreen version is thankfully now available on DVD from Fox.

A fine thriller with moments of erotic tension

[NewEnglandPat · 6/10 · 12 July 2005]

This murder yarn details the career of a female killer who marries men for their money, dispatches them without leaving any clues, then lays claim to their wealthy estates and moves on in search of another goldmine. The murders come to the attention of Debra Winger, a Federal investigator, although the film doesn't explain why the government is interested in these cases. Theresa Russell, the title character, is the attractive, intelligent woman who wins the confidence of the men she targets and uses her irresistible charm to disarm her suitors. Winger soon cultivates a friendship with Russell to get closer to her and anticipate her next moves but knows that she and her quarry are on a collision course. The women play subtle cat-and-mouse games with each other until the surprise ending, which proves that a black widow can spin one web too many. Winger and Russell generated an undertow of erotic tension between them that the picture didn't explore but the movie remains a good mystery.

The female of the species is more deadly than the male.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 8 January 2016]

Black Widow is directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Ronald Bass. It stars Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. Music is by Michael Small and cinematography by Conrad L. Hall.

Two women. Catherine marries men for their money, then murders them. The other, Alexandra Barnes is on her tail, getting in close to hopefully expose her crimes...

Rafelson's neo-noir homages the film noir femme fatales of the 40s and 50s with a high degree of success. There's much potency in the screenplay that puts it firmly in the noir universe. Flip flopping the misogyny angles of yesteryear, picture pitches the ultimate femme fatale destroyer of men into a cat and mouse scenario with a sexually repressed opponent - or is she a jealous but secret admirer? The transformation of Winger's dowdy Justice Department Agent into a blossoming lady at Catherine Black Widow's (Russell super sexy and sensuous) side brings in the doppelgänger effect, a good old noir staple. The sexual tension is a constant, particularly when Paul Nuytten (Sami Frey) is brought into proceedings, something which shifts the piece still further into noirville.

There's also other characters straight out of film noir. Be it Alexandra's boss (the always reliable Terry O'Quinn), who's harbouring carnal desires for Alex, or sleazy Private Investigator H. Shin (James Hong) who has a needle habit, it's clear that Rafelson and Bass know their noir. Unfortunately most of the play is in daylight, meaning missed opportunities for some psychological shadow play is passed up. Though it should be noted that Hall's photography is slick and tonally in tune, especially when lighting scenes involving Russell as prime focus. It all builds to a splendid finale, the makers pulling us both ways as to where it will lead. Sure, some of the plot devices are weak, but in the main this is sexy, intriguing and tricky in narrative, whilst tech credits stay at the higher end of the scale. 7/10

lots underneath the surface here

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 10 August 2005]

This is a terrific movie that reminds one what we lost when Debra Winger slowed down her movie-making. She gives an honest, heartfelt performance as an investigator chasing a woman who marries rich and whose husbands wind up dead every time. The widow then remakes her appearance, gets a new identity, and dupes another man. Only Winger is convinced that this trail of murders is the work of one woman.

Eventually she catches up with this black widow (Theresa Russell) and the two hang out together in Hawaii. The Russell character likes the danger - she knows Winger is after her, and after trying to kill her during a scuba dive, saves her at the last minute.

My favorite scene with Winger is the one in which she almost tells Nicol Williamson the truth about his bride. She stands and stares at him - she knows he's going to die, she knows he won't believe her - you can see every thought in her head until, regretfully, she leaves.

Theresa Russell has the right detachment for this role. One suspects the character is a real man-hater and is, in fact, attracted to Winger. Winger is admiring of Russell's constant flirtation with danger. This is a complex relationship that the two play out. The finale is not up to the standard of the rest of the film, but I still highly recommend it.

Get me to the funeral on time...

[Lejink · 5/10 · 17 February 2011]

Stylish but ultimately hollow and implausible thriller which sees Debra Winger's Justice Department investigator pursue Theresa Russell's kill 'em with love murdering newlywed of a wife. It follows the format of a screed of contemporary 80's thrillers with attractive leads playing rich and beautiful people living fabulous lifestyles, with dangerous designs on their partners, a convoluted plot-line and of course a big twist at the conclusion. Where "Black Widow" falls down is in the sheer far-fetchedness of its story as we're expected to believe in Russell as a serial-killer with what must be a strange addiction to the wedding march and confetti.

She also has an unerring talent for seeking out rich bachelors and then not only charming them into marriage but also to will their fortunes to her in the short time available to them in between the "I do's" and his death rattle. Somehow, while investigating a mob-death, married-to-the-job agent Winger picks up Russell's scent and before you can count four has trailed her to her latest intended (victim) in Hawaii.

From there it's a duel between the two of them as to who can get the better of the other over latest squeeze Paul, which is left in doubt until the last reel. I just found the plot had more holes than a string vest, never buying into the Winger/ Russell friendship, even with its lesbian overtones, which only seemed to be inserted for shock value in any case. Did I believe in Russell as a femme-fatale with the looks and smarts to seduce and reduce the men in her life? No, again.

Director Rafaelson tries to keep us guessing throughout and also sexes things up when he can, but in the end it's all too ludicrous for words and collapses under the weight of its own pretensions.

A decent but unremarkable potboiler

[brchthethird · 6/10 · 14 November 2014]

This is a rather ordinary mystery/potboiler in which a game of cat-and-mouse is played between two women. I said it's ordinary because there really isn't much to distinguish it from other similar movies except that the two leads are women. The acting is serviceable, and no one really gives a breakout performance. The film's greatest weakness is probably in the writing. The film starts out strong, but it's as if the writers ran out of ideas when it came to the final act. The pacing slows down a lot (and wasn't even perfect to begin with, given all of the time lapses) and the story begins to focus on a love triangle that really isn't compelling at all. Some lesbian/homoerotic tension is hinted at and, as if to give the perverts in the audience something to guffaw at, culminates in one of the quickest and most awkward kisses I've ever seen. They also don't treat the women in the film very kindly either, particularly the two leads. The only type of independent women they have are either manipulative bitches or hard-working women without much time for romantic endeavors, and both of them are presented as sex objects throughout the entire running time. Debra Winger's character is of the second type and is constantly subjected to crude comments and unwanted sexual advances, while Theresa Russell is the other type, who sees marriage as the pinnacle of her life even if she uses it to her own nefarious purpose. There are some glorified cameos by Dennis Hopper and Nicol Williamson which are entertaining. It's too bad that they weren't in the film more, but they do elevate the material somewhat in their limited screen time. Overall, I'd say this is about two thirds of a decent movie, despite the implausibility of it all.

Hallucinative desire

[chaos-rampant · 8 May 2016]

If you ever wondered how classic Hollywood would look in a modern guise or whatever happened to it, it's right here. Shots, actors, dialogue, the way sets are framed, the whole language is the very same, in color this time. It's very much a movie from the 40s.

It's film noir in fact, an interesting one in the way it reverses and makes desire erupt from beneath.

A woman as investigator, looking around the country for another woman. A woman who we understand has no experience with men and has led a boring office life, looking for adventure. She enters the world of this second woman who embodies all that she's missing in hers; unabashed experience with men, a life of intrigue.

The setting is Hawaii and suitably exotic as a matter of both sensual (meaning open to the senses) and artificial, mirroring the fiction the widow weaves around her. At one point we drive in view of a volcano erupting in the distance, a glimpse of heaving urges beneath the narrative ground.

Interesting is this confluence of identity that is a central tenet of noir. The woman who investigates enters the other's world by posing as a charmless, reserved girl, but which we understand is very much her own self, very thin boundaries. Through her she has an entry into a world of being wanted, a charming man takes her out on a trip, but as she succumbs to the role she begins to lose sight of the plot. On the other end we note all this as a narrative being authored by the femme fatale, using surrogate desire as the lure into a story. The story the widow was preparing is that the girl became so obsessed with a story where she killed romantic partners for money, she killed to create it, becoming who she came to catch.

This is all great to see, intricate in conception, and could have been potent as a primary text for Vertigo or Lady of Shanghai style annotation where obsessive desire takes over the controls. Lynch and Rivette were extrapolating noir in their own way at this time.

It has silly resolutions in the end that make movie sense only, and a less investigative camera than I'd like, more Preminger than Welles. But it's more worthwhile than many of so called neo noirs where the plot matches the edges of noir but they miss its real crux.

Noir Meter: 3/4 | Neo-noir or post noir? Neo

It is good and an enjoyable watch with fine cinematography but there are problems

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 10 January 2021]

It is good and an enjoyable watch with fine cinematography but there are problems. We would have liked to see more of Dennis Hopper and a little less of Sami Frey. The former seems in fine and vibrant form but the latter diffident and uncomfortable which makes it difficult during later key scenes. Biggest problem of all though is that we become so bewitched, so mesmerised by the beauty, tenacity and manipulative skills of Theresa Russell she rather overshadows the good work of Debra Winger and we find ourselves on the wrong side. This may have been intentional but it is a difficult trick to pull off and when we have to further consider possible affection between the girls the very glue that has held the premise of hardworking and well meaning FBI investigator against the world, comes a little unstuck. Still a fine watch, however, and a super twist.

Sort of Flat

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 26 August 2016]

A federal investigator (Debra Winger) tracks down a gold digging woman (Theresa Russell) who moves from husband to husband, kills them and collects the inheritance.

What I loved most about this film is Terry O'Quinn's mustache. O'Quinn always has a great performance, but he doesn't always have a mustache. So, for that, I thank whoever asked him to wear one.

This movie was directed by Bob Rafelson (who really peaked from 1968-1972), which explains the small Dennis Hopper cameo. If you were watching it for Hopper, you will be disappointed. And overall it is rather slow for a "thriller" with very little suspense. Some have called it a "film noir", but I think that's a stretch.

Interesting although not totally successful thriller.

[hu675 · 7/10 · 22 September 2010]

Justice Department agent Alexandra Barnes (Debra Winger) is investigating on the mysterious "Black Widow" (Theresa Russell). Who marries wealthy older men by seducing them on marriage and killing them by mysterious means of poisoning. When the "Black Widow" has her eyes on a international hotel tycoon (Sami Frey). She does her best to seduced him but Alexandra goes undercover on Hawaii to track her down.

Directed by Bob Rafelson (Blood and Wine, Five Easy Pieces, Stay Hungry) made an intriguing, watchable, suspense thriller with good performances by Winger and Russell. But the movie is never as satisfying as you would like it to be. Although the movie does have an loyal cult following. Written by Ronald Bass (Gardens of Stone, Rain Man, What Dreams May Come). (***/*****).

Hugely entertaining (feminist?) film

[nick_brown · 8/10 · 4 September 2000]

Debra Winger is great as always as the FBI backroom researcher allowed out for a change to pursue her theory that the widows of several millionaires who have all died of the same rare disease are in fact the same woman.

She finds herself fascinated as well as repelled by Theresa Russell's glamour, lifestyle and ability to use men for her own ends. Russell in her turn sees her as a worthy opponent (unlike all those men she takes in so easily).

In fact all the men are just part of the background to the play between Winger and Russell.

Its a terrific film all round and I may be alone in this, but I think the ending works.

Sensual Seductress Theresa Russel vs. Obssessive Huntress Debra Winger

[Vomitron_G · 7/10 · 24 January 2010]

A fine thriller with a bit of an edge and a splendid cast. One female federal investigator (Debra Winger) starts to follow the trail of a rich young widow (Theresa Russel), of whom she suspects is killing off her older husbands to inherit their fortunes. The film often takes giant leaps in time, which really gives the impression that a bit too much is happening too fast, yet the ride itself is very well worth it, even down to the numerous complications in the plot near the end.... leaving, sadly, the very ending itself a tad bit underwhelming. One of the aspects of the plot that struck me most about this film, is the fact that it has two of the most determined ('obsessed' might be a better word for it) female characters up against one another I've ever seen in one film. And they're the two leading ladies, no less. This really does pay off well on several occasions, especially from the moment they meet up onward.

The film's screenplay might have been better developed if it had been turned into a mini-series of about 3 hours. I can actually see this concept work very well as a TV-series these days, but only if they make just one solid season and then wrap it up with a decent conclusion (something in the vein of "Kidnapped" from 2006, fast paced yet well plotted). In short, "Black Widow" has a good concept with a lot of potential - most of it used, even - and a decent cast to boot, but as a full feature it bit off a bit more than it could chew. Nevertheless, as it stands now, just give it a watch. Chances are you won't regret it.

Mind-numbingly dull

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 11 August 2013]

Style over substance. Mood over plot. A director in love with his lead actresses. You can level many accusations at BLACK WIDOW, but a good film it isn't. Sure, it has potential; a decent set-up for one, and a first half hour that looks like it's really going somewhere. Sad, then, that the potential is wasted with a narrative that stalls and ends up going nowhere.

The idea of a serial killer who murders a string of husbands for their inheritance is a solid one, and BLACK WIDOW bolsters it with a decent cast: Theresa Russell's icy blonde bombshell is a forerunner to Sharon Stone's femme fatales, while Debra Winger's dogged cop is just quirky enough to be interesting. Kudos for getting all those notables in too: Terry O'Quinn as the superior, Dennis Hopper and Nicol Williamson as potential victims, a nicely sleazy role for James Hong.

But somewhere along the line the film loses its way. Instead of concentrating on building the suspense and developing a cat and mouse game between cop and killer, the writer and director become fixated on another kind of relationship between the two women, so much so that all the tension dissipates and it all becomes incredibly boring. There's no danger, no reason to keep watching. Even the twist ending does nothing to improve things. As a contrast, I recently watched the Hitchcock rip-off FINAL ANALYSIS, and despite the clichés it was ten times better than this because it remembered what it was throughout: a thriller, first and foremost.

Now frequently on Fox Movie Channel...

[MarieGabrielle · 9/10 · 14 October 2008]

This film is a guilty pleasure from the go, go 80's, when money was a balm for all things, and everything over the top was fun.

Teresa Russell is very good as the elusive "Black Widow", a beautiful and mysterious chameleon who marries wealthy businessmen, somehow rids herself of them, and financially profits in the process. She goes from NYC society matron, to Texas redhead, to Seattle museum doyenne, to Hawaiian princess. She looks the role, and Debra Winger is very good as the frumpy FBI detective who must catch her.

There are also some memorable cameo roles here, Lois Smith as a former sister-in-law, and Diane Ladd as the suspicious relative in Texas who is bought off with a substantial six-figure gift.

The sets are believable, and the final set in Hawaii is also balmy and mysterious. Sami Frey portrays the final husband, and there is a twist at the end. 9/10. Recommended.

She Mates, She Kills But does she ever Love?

[Coventry · 6/10 · 7 February 2010]

"Black Widow" is the prime example of an average movie with a mediocre script that nevertheless gets uplifted to a higher standard thanks to its style and class. The plot is derivative and implausible, but the performances are sublime, the direction is surefooted and the cinematography is astounding. Weigh out these pro's and cons against each other and "Black Widow" will probably reach the verdict of being a good thriller. The set-up and sober narrative style of this film comes across as a direct tribute to the film-noirs of the 1940's, only in reverse with man-unfriendly characters instead of woman-unfriendly characters and an open sexual personality instead of oppressed sexuality. Catherine Petersen has a very interesting but demanding career. She professionally seduces various wealthy men into marriage and subtly kills them a couple of weeks later. For this modus operandi she undergoes a complete metamorphosis each time and travels to all opposites of the country, like from NY to Atlanta and from Seattle to Hawaii. Even though the murders appear completely natural and unrelated, they fetch the attention of workaholic of federal employee Alex Barnes. She craves a field job and, even though nobody reported any crime, she begs her superior to investigate this mysterious woman's life. They make friends in Hawaï, where Catherine has an eye set on a handsome hotel chain owner and Alex' interest in her slowly turns into dangerous obsession and even transformation.

The main issue with "Black Widow" – or at least MY main issue – is the unclear but nonetheless implausible time span between each new victim Catherine targets for action. She generates a whole new personality and background with each new man and plans her actions carefully and in great detail, but still in the film everything appears to happen in just a couple of days. How else could Alex justify her suspicions if only one murder occurred every 6-12 months? The last "chapter" in Catherine's black widow adventures is also one too many. The last half hour of the film is highly inconceivable, grotesque and even somewhat tedious. Perhaps director Bob Rafelson and writer Ronal Bass should have limited themselves to three victims instead of four. That way, the roles of veteran actors like Dennis Hopper and Nicol Williamson would have been more than just cameos. The only thing that remains 100% fascinating throughout the movie is Theresa Russell's performance as Catherine. She attempts to give more depth and personality to her character than necessary, but it's more than welcome. I like how Russell's character is a vulnerable perfectionist, who suffers from severe aggression attacks when even the slightest detail doesn't go as planned, and even claims at a certain point that she truly loved each and every one of the husbands she killed. Theresa Russell is also unquestionably one of the most ravishing actresses of the late 80's/early 90's, with an incredibly sex- appeal and a degree of sensuality that has yet to find an equal. This was the first film of cinematographer Conrad L. Hall in over ten years and he promptly illustrates what Hollywood missed out on during his absence. The film is truly beautiful to stare at in certain places.

Tedious And Trite

[Lechuguilla · 27 September 2007]

Determined against all odds, a federal agent named Alex (Debra Winger) tracks down an attractive young woman (played by Theresa Russell) who marries and then kills a succession of rich men, for their money. It sounds like a good concept for a movie.

But "Black Widow" doesn't quite work because the story is plotted as a procedural instead of a thriller. We see Alex doggedly digging for clues, talking and arguing with people who might but won't help in the search, and scheming to get close enough to the killer to trap her. It's all rather slow and routine; there's an absence of suspense. And because so much of the plot centers on the actions of the black widow, there's also an absence of mystery.

In true crime stories there's nothing at all wrong with a procedural plot. Alan J. Pakula did it well in "All The President's Men", for example. But true crime has suspense and/or mystery built in. Fiction does not. And so, a story such as "Black Widow" that's played as a dogged, determined search for the truth runs the risk of being languid and tedious, unless the main characters are sufficiently interesting in themselves to override the dull plot. Here, neither Alex nor the black widow engenders much interest; both are rather uninspired and trite. Some viewers seem to think there is more to the relationship between Alex and the villain than meets the eye. If there was, I didn't catch it.

To its credit this film has elaborate and expensive production design. And Debra Winger does a fine job in her role. But the problem with "Black Widow" is a screenplay that renders a boring plot, and contains characters that lack interest.

Black Widow: When Broads Clash ***

[edwagreen · 6/10 · 1 July 2008]

Whatever happened to Debra Winger? She was terrific in "Terms of Agreement" as well as "An Officer and A Gentleman."

Very intriguing plot is depicted in the film when Winger, as a government agent, pursues Russell who weds wealthier older men and sends them to their graves rather suddenly.

Winger is great here as she shows an obsession to get the Russell character. Ms. Russell matches her every way she can and seems to pull it all out until the bottom of the 9th inning.

The movie starts out slow but builds nicely. The sumptuous scenes of Hawaii add to its character.

You'll need more than Raid for this black widow

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 31 January 2020]

This was no Marvel character and this was not Scarlett Johansson, but don't underestimate her. This black widow was of the traditional variety, the one that mates and kills. In this case she would marry, mate, and kill in the most discreet and deceptive manner. So discreet and deceptive that no one noticed except one very astute DOJ officer.

Alexandra (Debra Winger) noticed a pattern of deaths and would not let the issue go when everyone around her was saying she was chasing a ghost. The seductive sly mistress was Catharine (Theresa Russell). She had the uncanny ability to move in on single wealthy men, marry them within months, and subsequently kill them for their money. It was almost too easy for her. There were so many wealthy single men out there to choose from who'd probably give their right arm to marry someone like Catharine. Too bad for them they ended up giving more than an arm, they gave their life.

Catharine was good at what she did. A small piece of me was impressed. These guys didn't deserve to die, but I'm sure they never saw it coming. They were rich and probably used to winning. When you do nothing but win you don't ever see yourself losing. They lost when it came to Catharine and only someone really savvy was going to be able to stop her.

Often fascinating tale of a single woman tracking another woman, of whom gets through as many rich men as an arachnid possesses legs.

[johnnyboyz · 7/10 · 20 June 2013]

Black Widow spiders are, I suppose, as famous as they are out of their curious habits and perverse naturalistic tendencies insomuch upon reproducing with a male of their species, they proceed to consume the male. Does the male know what awaits them? Is it a little like a bee knowing that should it sting something, it will die? Are they each and all as oblivious to the female's threat as they always have been? Perhaps there's just a perverse set of intelligentsia trapped within the male that has them damn-well know what awaits them post sex, it's they just that they enjoy the sensation of going through with it before encountering doom so much that is doesn't bother them. Regardless, it will all sound rather improper to some and will put others off sitting through a feature entitled "Black Widow" upon finding out it's about a woman whose numerous husbands, of ridiculous wealth, show up dead just in time for said woman to inherit what it is they possess.

But then there would be a mite of ill applied presumption about these people. Certainly, an unheralded 80's film from a director, whose previous work was the remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice, entitled "Black Widow" sounds like the sort of sleazy seduce-fest that happens to have an unnatural preoccupation for sex and death, usually in that order. The proof in the eating of this particular pudding is far from which its cover and reputation alone allude. For here is a film about a woman hunting another woman, that is to say a law enforcer seeking a criminal. Additionally, here is a film whose preoccupation with cause, effect and criminal procedure relegates men to that of bit parts and murder victims while promoting these female roles to the forefront so that may battle one another and essentially out smart the other. Here is a film sharper than one would think and Black Widow cuts a decent investigative piece.

I suppose the thrill is always in the 'how' we're going to nail her, not 'who' we're going to nail when one tackles these sorts of films. We open on a private jet that the woman on board would never have afforded in half a dozen lifetimes, never mind her own here and now. She is the widow to a recently deceased and she's come to make it a bit of a habit in recent times to casually be informed of her husband's passing before blurting out some crocodile tears and marching on in life. In co-ordinance with the paragraph's opening statement, it's fairly obvious that the woman had something to do with the deaths of these people – it's just that the evidence column is too bare. We're aware that all this money and riches have suddenly entered this woman's life after a recent marriage, but clueless if we can unravel it as much more than mere coincidence.

Cutting to the other important female named Alex (Winger), we observe a woman who works for her keep and stays within the law. Alex, a data analyst with the Department of Justice whose name is in turn ambiguous in regards to its gender, breezes into work one day and batters away any doubt over her theories that what this woman is doing is the obvious – that is to say, hopping from rich husband to rich husband and doing away with them silently once its confirmed their cash is hers upon death. As she looks further into the stories, it's revealed that she herself hapless with other men and relationships in general – something that seems embarrassing to her, something that needs to be tiptoed around. The central idea, then, comes to form a backbone to a film whereby a woman becomes besotted with a woman who happens to bounce from man to man with a sickly ease. While there is little question over Alex's sexual orientation, the investigations appear to open her mind to new things in this regard before essentially rendering her one of what the killer is in the first place: someone bounding around the world, infiltrating certain circles and then garnering that perverse glee once bodies have hit the floor and those left standing are all the more richer for it.

In beating away the sexual advances of her male co-workers and changing her name to the more (in comparison to Alex) provocative "Jessica" once the film's reached the state of Hawaii, the film essentially depicts a charged exodus of someone becoming more and more engulfed in the life of a seductive killer than it does take the easy way out and revel in the depravity of the more standardised erotic thriller. It would be true to say that a lot of the infectious energy born out of the earlier investigative stuff is missed once we reach Hawaii, where scenes shot beside swimming pools and such provide most of the titillation, but Black Widow is a solid and often engaging film which has a decent stretch of engaging content in it.

This story seriously lacks in suspense midway through. Average eighties thriller. NOT recommended except for fans of Winger or Russel.

[imseeg · 6/10 · 3 June 2019]

Somewhere midway through into this story, the suspense deflates and never quite builds up in tension again, except for the very end, which is quite original and suprising and again.

Not bad. Not great either. A reasonable eighties movie, best suited for fans of either Debrah Winger or Teressa Russel. BUT beware: both actresses have starred in other better movies, so I wouldnt particularly recommend this movie.

The story is about a devious woman who secretly kills all her husbands with an untraceable poison. Officer Debrah Winger is out to bring this husband killer to justice. Will she succeed?

Not impressed

[qrt7 · 3/10 · 19 June 2001]

Contrary to other reviews on here, I felt this movie was little better than a TVM. The plot was weak, the dialogue thin and the characters...well, downright boring.

What was the ultimate point of it all, I ask myself. Annoying FBI woman pursues another annoying woman who murders wealthy men of stupid families in very plush surroundings. Why should I care? Frankly, I didn't! I found nothing here to compel me to pay attention.

The direction was also a bit duff, I personally found a lot of scenes were skimmed over with little depth, whilst others were trawled over too long. This simply exacerbated the tedium I felt.

The double plot twist at the end redeemed the film somewhat, although it wasn't exactly an intellectual one was it? I could have thought of that over a beer without too much trouble.

In conclusion, an unfulfilling film, which is a shame, as I felt a lot more could have been done with it. Maybe rent it out, read the plot description on the box and then watch the last twenty minutes.

3/10.

P.S. By the way, I watched this with my girlfriend and she didn't think much of it either so it's not just me being easily-bored male!

Cool crime thriller

[KaiOlaf · 7/10 · 1 May 2019]

Especially cool 80's atmosphere makes this movie better than average crime thrillers - no other decade would have fit so good to this straight but intensive story.