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 | suspense | widow | black widow | millionaire | 

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Taglines:

She mates and she kills.

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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

Gross USA:

$25,205,460

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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

The nick-name of Justice Department agent Alexandra Barnes (Debra Winger) was "Alex".

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Goofs

Debra Winger shadows Theresa Russell on the top deck of the Seattle to Bainbridge Island ferry. The same mountains in the Olympic range are behind both actresses, even though one lady is on the starboard and the other is on the port side.

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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 NCIS: Leap of Faith (2007)

User Reviews

Stimulating film about obsession, nicely directed as a thriller by Bob Rafelson.

Winger and Russell are sensational here, characteristically different yet essentially the same in nature. The sinister plot trappings and black widow symbolism keep the film lively but only serve to heighten the intriguing subtext of two women obsessed with success and competition. Winger is exceptional as always, and while Russell is notably uneven as usual, they both succeed admirably. All the supporting parts are brilliantly played. This is one of the finest and most enjoyable femme fatale films around. A widescreen version is thankfully now available on DVD from Fox.