Black Widow (1987)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Bob Rafelson

Writer:

Ronald Bass (written by)

Release Date:

6 February 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

She Mates and She kills. No Man Can Resist Her. Only One Woman Can Stop Her.

Plot:

A federal investigator tracks down a gold digging woman who moves from husband to husband, kills them and collects the inheritance.

Plot Keywords:

Black Widow | Widow | Inheritance | Murder | Millionaire

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 20

10:45 AM

AMC

Cast

Debra Winger	...	Alexandra 'Alex' Barnes
Theresa Russell	...	Catherine Petersen
Sami Frey	...	Paul Nuytten
Dennis Hopper	...	Ben Dumers
Nicol Williamson	...	William McCrory
Terry O'Quinn	...	Bruce, Alex's Boss
James Hong	...	H. Shin - Honolulu private investigator
Diane Ladd	...	Etta
D.W. Moffett	...	Michael
Lois Smith	...	Sara
Leo Rossi	...	Detective Ricci
Danny Kamekona	...	FBI security
Rutanya Alda	...	Irene
Mary Woronov	...	Shelley
Wayne Heffley	...	Etta's husband

Also Known As:

Bullseye (Australia)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | Spain:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai`i, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Amercent Films

Trivia:

Debra Winger was given the choice of the two roles in Black Widow (1987); she chose the role of the FBI agent, because she didn't understand the motivation as to why the Black Widow kills, so the title role went to Theresa Russell.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Investigator in the last fifteen minutes of the movie refers to Jessica Bates as Jessica Barnes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sara: When he didn't come to the office, 10:30, 11:00, I called the house. Catherine... he went in his sleep, peacefully. The doctor said if you'd been sleeping right next to him, you wouldn't have even known. You couldn't have done anything.

Movie Connections:

Features In the Land of the Head Hunters (1914)

Chasing after the phantom

Super, exceptionally sleek and stylish thriller has federal investigator Debra Winger (in a feisty, sensual, fully thought-out performance) tracking down a man-killer. Theresa Russell isn't as dimensional as Winger, but her icy reserve in general is right for this part. Film rushes its ending, with closing scenes that feel truncated, but otherwise it is a tight, focused, suspenseful chess match between two brainy, attractive women. Great direction minus the finale, beautiful cinematography (by the esteemed Conrad Hall) and locations; also some very fine supporting performances, including Nicol Williamson as one of Russell's unfortunate husbands and cameos by Dennis Hopper and Diane Ladd. ***1/2 from ****