Black Widow (1987)

Touches You

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I'm coming to this party a little late.Debra Winger and Theresa Russell are well matched as female leads. Both are excellent with Theresa Russell as the polished, mysterious killer and Debra Winger as the ruffled FBI researcher in pursuit.There is an unlikely admiration and battle of wits between the two women as the cat and mouse game plays out across various locations. Each woman has their own motivation which is never fully revealed.The films also has a great supporting cast including Dennis Hopper and Nicol Williamson as unfortunate husbands and James Hong as Shin the private detective.The film works very well and is well paced right up until the ending which I found a little disappointing. There is a twist but I think they had a much better ending staring them right in the face but I suppose that wouldn't have been in the Hollywood style. What can I say I like my endings with a little more grit and not so happy. Nonetheless enough great performances to make this movie worth the watch.

I had seen Body Heat from 1981 with the similar femme fatale theme and that film just comes to my mind after seeing Black Widow on TV tonight.Actually Black widow tries to copy some elements from the earlier film with very little success. I can give this film 1 point for high production values, 1 point for the score and 1 for good sets. That's just about it and it's such a shame that if this film had had a really good intelligent script, the outcome could have been much better.The film's actually really dumb and there's plenty of things that make very little sense. The pacing is actually so dull that nothing seems to happen in it for the first hour. It's just tough to watch when everything is so obvious from the very beginning to the very end. It's like watching a daytime soap opera that never ends.The main character's quite tame and uninteresting just like everything else in this film. Plot twists in the end of the film are just a little too late to save the film. It appears that there was very little substance but it still had to be made to last 102 minutes.Save yourself from an obvious disappointment and watch The Body Heat instead. It's got very similar story and it's the original.

Good Looking Film that has Disappointment Written All Over it. It is Sleek, yet Surprisingly Unsuspenseful. Theresa Russell Steals the Show Showing some Depth to the Title Character but Ultimately the Movie is Brought Down by Some Sloppy Editing and Rushed Exposition.It has Sheen but is Short on Thrills as it Often Cuts from or Eliminates Scenes that Seem Essential and Adds Others that are Supremely Superfluous or Silly (like the shower part with Winger). Speaking of Debra Winger, She is Boring, Clichéd, and Bland as a Modern Professional Woman that has Joined the Workforce, so Therefore Must be Written as "one of the boys". Much has been Read Into that.With No Dating Skills and Frumpy Clothes She Buys a Gun for Some Reason and then has it set off the Alarm at the FBI (this is supposed to be a smart Agent) and is Lectured on Firearms by Her "smart" Boss that Tells this Law Enforcement Officer to "Take it back to Sears." The Motivation Behind that Scene is Anyone's Guess.There is a bit of Chemistry Once the Investigation Collides and the Two Women Meet Near the Bedroom Battlefield, but that Part of the Film, while the Best Part, is Short and Leads to a Muddled Conclusion that is about as Unsatisfying as the Film Itself.Overall, this is a Feminine Fantasy, some Perverted Wish Fulfillment for Eighties "Greedy" Women, who were Left Out of the Market and do Their "Gordon Gekko" not with Stock Manipulation, but with a More Natural and Organic Talent.

A really clever thriller written by Ron Bass & unexpectedly directed by Bob Rafelson. Debra Winger is a government agent who insinuates herself into the life of the much-married Theresa Russell, knowing full well that the gold digging Russell mates and kills her wealthy husbands. There's undeniable (and quite erotic) chemistry between Winger & Russell...and between Russell and Dennis Hopper...and between Russell and Sami Frey...you get the point. Rafelson weaves a complex and very satisfying tale. Winger gives a powerhouse performance and Russell is perfect as an utter psychopath. The large cast also includes Diane Ladd, Lois Smith, Nicol Williamson, Terry O'Quinn, James Hong (as a decidedly sleazy private eye), and, briefly, Mary Woronov.