Black Widow (1987)

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

Director:

Bob Rafelson

Writer:

Ronald Bass

Stars:

Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Sami Frey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Debra Winger	...	Alexandra
Theresa Russell	...	Catharine
Sami Frey	...	Paul
Dennis Hopper	...	Ben
Nicol Williamson	...	William
Terry O'Quinn	...	Bruce
James Hong	...	Shin
Diane Ladd	...	Etta
D.W. Moffett	...	Michael
Lois Smith	...	Sara
Leo Rossi	...	Ricci
Danny Kamekona	...	Detective
Rutanya Alda	...	Irene
Mary Woronov	...	Shelley
Wayne Heffley	...	Etta's Husband

Storyline

Catherine is a black widow. "She mates and then she kills". Black Widow is the story of a lady (Catherine) who marries lonely millionaires, waits until they've changed their will to leave all to their beloved wives and then murders them to inherit the fortune. With each man Catherine marries, she changes her appearance to suit the mans personality. Only there's one problem. Alexandra is a smart cookie and has found a link between these unexplained mysterious deaths and the partners wives. But now her only problem is proving that a killer is on the loose and saving herself from the deadly Black Widow.

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Plot Keywords:

erotic thriller | widow | black widow | millionaire | inheritance | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Borgia

Filming Locations:

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,426,831, 8 February 1987, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$25,205,460

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amercent Films, American Entertainment Partners L.P., Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

Shin rolls up the same sleeve twice to use a syringe.

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Monster A-Go Go (1993)

User Reviews

lots underneath the surface here

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.