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:

Lesbian Subtext | Marriage | Museum | Scuba Diving | Serial Killer

Cast

Debra Winger	...	Alexandra 'Alex' Barnes
Theresa Russell	...	Catherine Petersen
Sami Frey	...	Paul Nuytten
Dennis Hopper	...	Ben Dumers
Nicol Williamson	...	William Macauley
Terry O'Quinn	...	Bruce, Alex's Boss
James Hong	...	H. Shin, P.I.
Diane Ladd	...	Etta
D.W. Moffett	...	Michael
Lois Smith	...	Sara
Leo Rossi	...	Detective Ricci
Danny Kamekona	...	Detective
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:

Cinematographer, Conrad Hall's return to filmmaking after a ten-year absence.

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:

Catherine Peterson: Mr. Shin, I'll tell you two things about me: I'm very rich. And I'm very wealthy.

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 ****