HERE BE SPOILERS, SO READERS BEWARE...
"Along came a spider" is a pleasantly watchable mystery thriller with a lot of twists and turns. The movie seems to be based on a theatre play, but it doesn't cling closely to its theatrical origins : the action moves around freely, taking place in a variety of settings such as a research lab, a restaurant, an apartment, a courtroom,...
The plot deals with a grieving widow trying to exact revenge on the man she deems responsible for her husband's death. (Since the widow is quite a clever woman, she's cooked up quite a clever revenge scheme.) As the movie progresses, the viewer watches her plans unfold. At the same time the viewer is invited to ponder an additional question, to wit whether the widow's suspicions are correct. If she's right, then she's targeting a person who caused another person's death, either through deliberate malice or through negligence ; if she's wrong, then she's targeting an innocent.
On the whole "Along came a spider" is a well-made movie, although it lacks the spark of genius that could have lifted it up to another level. Near the end it begins to outstay its welcome. The finale, by the way, boasts a fine example of that old cliché where a killer explains his or her evil motives before attacking the intended victim. I strongly suspect that most real-life killers would shoot/strangle/push/bludgeon first and explain later, if at all.
Anyway, "Along came a spider" teaches a valuable life lesson : before embarking on a revenge mission, check and doublecheck your facts.
"Along came a spider" is a pleasantly watchable mystery thriller with a lot of twists and turns. The movie seems to be based on a theatre play, but it doesn't cling closely to its theatrical origins : the action moves around freely, taking place in a variety of settings such as a research lab, a restaurant, an apartment, a courtroom,...
The plot deals with a grieving widow trying to exact revenge on the man she deems responsible for her husband's death. (Since the widow is quite a clever woman, she's cooked up quite a clever revenge scheme.) As the movie progresses, the viewer watches her plans unfold. At the same time the viewer is invited to ponder an additional question, to wit whether the widow's suspicions are correct. If she's right, then she's targeting a person who caused another person's death, either through deliberate malice or through negligence ; if she's wrong, then she's targeting an innocent.
On the whole "Along came a spider" is a well-made movie, although it lacks the spark of genius that could have lifted it up to another level. Near the end it begins to outstay its welcome. The finale, by the way, boasts a fine example of that old cliché where a killer explains his or her evil motives before attacking the intended victim. I strongly suspect that most real-life killers would shoot/strangle/push/bludgeon first and explain later, if at all.
Anyway, "Along came a spider" teaches a valuable life lesson : before embarking on a revenge mission, check and doublecheck your facts.