V.I. Warshawski (1991)

A female PI babysitting for a boyfriend gets stuck with his daughter and the case of her murdered father.

Director:

Jeff Kanew

Writers:

Sara Paretsky ('V.I. Warshawski' novels), Edward Taylor (screen story)

Stars:

Kathleen Turner, Jay O. Sanders, Charles Durning

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathleen Turner	...	Vic
Jay O. Sanders	...	Murray
Charles Durning	...	Lt. Mallory
Angela Goethals	...	Kat
Nancy Paul	...	Paige
Frederick Coffin	...	Horton
Charles McCaughan	...	Trumble
Stephen Meadows	...	Boom-Boom
Wayne Knight	...	Smeissen
Lynnie Godfrey	...	Sal
Anne Pitoniak	...	Lotty
Stephen Root	...	Mickey
Robert Clotworthy	...	Philip Pugh
Tom Allard	...	Big Eddie
Mike Hagerty	...	Babe (as Michael G. Hagerty)

Storyline

Victoria "V.I" Warshawski is a Chicago based private detective who agrees to babysit for her new boyfriend; then he is murdered. Being the detective type, she makes the murder her next case. In doing so she befriends the victim's daughter, Kat, and together they set out to crack the case.

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Plot Keywords:

camera shot of feet | foot closeup | female stockinged feet | pantyhose | chicago illinois | 

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Taglines:

Killer eyes. Killer legs. Killer instincts.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and moments of violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

V.I. Warshawski, Detective in High Heels

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$11,128,309

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures,Silver Screen Partners IV,Chestnut Hill Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was originally meant to spawn a franchise for Kathleen Turner, but the film's dismal US box office performance soon put an end to that.

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Goofs

Late in the film, Victoria "V.I." Warshawski (Kathleen Turner) returns to Smeissen's (Wayne Knight) hideout to get some information out of him. She goes upstairs to his office and, as a warning, fires her gun at a bowl of walnuts sitting on his desk. The film cuts to a reaction shot of Smeissen, then back to the wide shot. Several items on the desk have moved on their own. Most notably, the red file folder has gone from sitting under the bowl of walnuts to sitting next to it. The phone straightened itself out, and the walnuts that flew out of the bowl have drastically changed positions.

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Quotes

Ernie: [to V.I. Warshawski, who's trying to get information from him] Now look, lady. This is Chicago: now everybody knows everything, but nobody knows nothin'.

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Connections

Referenced in Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 1 (2005)

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Soundtracks

Waltz G Flat Major, Or 70, No. 1
Written by Frédéric Chopin
Performed by Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra
Courtesy of Sony Classical

User Reviews

This is a great little film!!!

I have never read the books, but I LOVED THIS MOVIE. Kathleen Turner was PERFECT in this role!! i disagree with others who say she was miscast--WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!! They couldn't have picked a better actress for this detective. I saw this film when it was in theaters, and loved it then. I got the chance to see it again on Encore today, and it has lost none of it's punch or humor, not to mention action. I just wish it was half-an-hour longer!! I thought Everyone was wonderful in the film, especially the little girl. And I adored the music! I wish they had made more films from the other books. i WOULDN'T MIND OWNING THIS ONE! tHIS IS A REAL GEM.