Customer Reviews

Black Widow

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A young woman (Theresa Russell) seduces , marries and murders all the men who appear in her life and selected for her to join in this undesirable club . Obviously the case becomes too suspicious and a female investigator (Debra Winger) is assigned to watch her . This plot will turn in a challenge . You will experiment the gradual transformation starting from intrigue to obsession .
A very well made script with high caliber performances . Unforgettable locations and dazzling direction.
Imagine this tour de force: the seductive Theresa Russell (Bad Timing) and the captivating acting of Winger.
A must for you.

This fine thriller could have been much better if the currents between Alexandra [Debra Winger] and Catharine [Theresa Russell] were explored and developed by the film-makers instead of letting the moment pass. The electricity between the hunted and the huntress is obvious after Alexandra finally catches up with black widow Catharine and from their first shared moments it seems as though Alexandra is spellbound by the woman she has set out to capture. Although Alexandra spends most of the film chasing after Catharine, she has a deer-in-the-headlights look when they spend time alone, whether in a hotel room, on a beach, or at a party, because she isn't as sure of herself as she was before she finally tracks down her dangerous prey. Catharine's seductive, flinty green eyes and sidelong glances at Alexandra suggest that this beautiful but ruthless killer is spinning her web to snare her pursuer before she can solve the mysterious deaths of her late husbands.

Debra Winger plays a detective who is on the trail of a psychopathic woman. She quickly meets, "falls in love" and then marries her man, but soon kills him before moving onto the next man repeating the process all over again. When the detective finally locates her in Hawaii, she meets her and the two become friends. As she investigates the woman's web of lies and murder, the woman becomes suspicious of her. When she finally discovers that her friend is a detective, it becomes a deadly rollercoaster ride as she repeatedly tries to kill her. Some of the best scenes were... poisoning the wine scene, the scuba-diving scene, the scalding shower scene, and the end scene.

One of the most evil villianesses of all time, Russell seduces wealthy men and then kills them after assurring herself of their fortunes. Winger is an FBI agent, who is trailing Russell and tries to earn her confidence and then entrap her. Great suspense.

I caught this movie on HBO in 1988-15 years later, I can still sit through it from beginning to end with out being the least bored. It is one of my favorite great movies that few people seem to know about.
Debra Winger is perfect as feisty Government agent, Alex, who notices a pattern and sets out to find the Black Widow-Theresa Russell, who reminds me a lot of Kathleen Turner in "Body Heat".
I would like to see more of her movies, as her portrayal of the woman Alex hunts down, is complex and compelling.
There are enough twists and turns to always keep your attention, and as other reviewers note, the scenery is spectacular.
The peripheral actors are well cast, and you find yourself caring about every one in the movie...and wondering what makes the Black Widow tick.

You can just about forget everyone else in this film other than Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. This sexy film is basically a two person film noir shot in bright colors, some of it in Hawaii. It is filled with excitement and seduction. Both the leads are wonderful to watch, their chemistry magnificent in this Bob Rafelson (Man Trouble, Five Easy Pieces) film.

Debra Winger is 'Alex' Barnes, bogged down in a government desk job dealing with statistics. But when she sees a pattern of deaths that lead to the icy beauty Theresa Russell she becomes obsessed with catching a killer. Theresa Russell, who has used more names than Jason Bourne, is just as smart as she is sexy, and almost the entire film is one long seduction scene as Russell spins her web around Alex.

It seems a lot of rich men have suddenly died on Russell and Alex knows why. She is what is called a "Black Widow", a woman who mates and then kills. No one has found any evidence to prove it however, and Alex's attempts to catch her at it becomes murky as a seduction begins to take place.

The locations and the stars are beautiful and as Winger and Russell circle each other in this game with deadly stakes you can't take your eyes off them. Winger's Alex is smart and determined but vulnerable and Russell gives a flawless and sexy performance as a smart and icy beauty with a heart full of venom.

The electricity between the two characters jumps off the screen. The pool scene where they first meet gives us an indication of what is to come as Alex attempts to get close to Russell, with some unexpected twists. The formost of these is a scene when Alex gives Russell a Black Widow pendant, a spider who mates and kills it's lover. Russells response, which includes her grabbing Alex and kissing her, plays with the fragile but determined Alex as she begins to doubt herself.

You don't want to miss this one. It's gorgeous to look at and has two riveting performances from Winger and Russell. You can't find a better one than this....

What do you know, another treasurechest of a movie. Its funny how I found it, staying in a winter chateau. Black Widow was buried on a shelf of books and other movies for the traveler. So I popped it in at 2 a.m. and was taken into this world, like having fallen into a magic drain pipe. Not many people have heard of Debra Winger's co-star, but Theresa Russell proves, like in The Razor's Edge, with the appearance of the right script, her character will stand on the edge looking down, then she's your woman. Winger had the movie ripped from her mouth in a scene at a Hawaian party. She told Russell she was on to her husband-killing game and presented her with a gift-jewel widow. R's retort: "She kills, but can she love." Cornered she grabs Winger and kisses her on the lips- a little improve?..oh yea, definitely. The plot is fairly simple: Russell crawls under the richmans door and into his fortune with her eyes closed, counts the money and executes whistle-clean homicide. Winger then leaves her FBI office to a field chase; she is sexy as hell after breaking her menagerie, you know, her new haircut. Pure escapism. The gambler wants action, not money. D.W. and I know this.

Okay, the story is preposterous and technologically dated, and some of the dialogue is melodramatic in a retro kind of way. That said, BLACK WIDOW still makes good viewing because it remains true to itself and the premises it has set up, and Debra Winger and Theresa Russell do a smashing job on their characters. It also has an interesting style, managing a noir atmosphere even while filming a considerable portion of the story in the bright sunshine of Hawaii and dressing the leads in the blues and red-oranges of '80s fashions.

Debra Winger plays a bright young unattached woman in a drab, stultifying life as a statistics accountant for the federal government. She does not openly indulge in self pity, but when she identifies a wisp of a possible crime in the statistics she compiles, she sells all her possessions and quits her job to pursue the case on her own. The case surrounds Theresa Russell's character who Winger believes marries older men and somehow precipitates their deaths to reap their inheritances, what is called a black widow. This is all established with swift efficiency, as is the guilt of Russell's character. The suspense lies in if and how Alex will corner her black widow, who is equally intelligent. The two make a sensational pairing, circling around each other, getting closer and closer.

Leonard Maltin's movie guide says the film doesn't deliver the big pay-off. That depends upon what kind of pay-off you are looking for. I happen to think it did deliver.

Great modern day "film noir" --mystery, suspense, serial killer, murder, "good vs. evil"--all the elements of a good THRILLER. So much so that a fan on fixed-income purchased this video. Debra Winger is brilliant, but Theresa Russell STEALS THE SHOW as the ultimate femme fatale with brains. Arguably HER BEST EVER! If you are a fan of the old days "film noir" you will LOVE this movie, as I do. Well worth the investment.

Great modern day "film noir" --mystery, suspense, serial killer, murder, "good vs. evil"--all the elements of a good THRILLER. So much so that a fan on fixed-income purchased this video. Debra Winger is brilliant, but Theresa Russell STEALS THE SHOW as the ultimate femme fatale with brains. Arguably HER BEST EVER! If you are a fan of the old days "film noir" you will LOVE this movie, as I do. Well worth the investment.