Black Widow (1987 film)
| Black Widow | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Bob Rafelson |
| Produced by |
Laurence Mark Harold Schneider |
| Written by | Ronald Bass |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Michael Small |
| Cinematography | Conrad L. Hall, ASC |
| Edited by | John Bloom |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $25,205,460 |
Black Widow is a 1987 American film noir thriller film starring Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Sami Frey and Nicol Williamson. Dennis Hopper has a short role at the beginning of the film.
It is a crime drama about two women: one who murders wealthy men whom she has married for their money (and keeps moving west), and the other an agent with the Department of Justice who grows obsessed with bringing her to justice. It was directed by Bob Rafelson, from a screenplay by Ronald Bass. The story takes on the form of a travelogue, as the murderess moves from New York to Dallas to Seattle and finally to Hawaii.
The story centers on two women. Catherine (Theresa Russell) is a psychopathicfemme fatale who preys on wealthy middle-aged men, seducing them into marriage and then fatally poisoning them. Each death is misdiagnosed as Ondine's curse, a condition by which seemingly healthy middle-aged men die in their sleep. Justice Department agent Alexandra "Alex" Barnes (Debra Winger) stumbles onto the first murder while investigating another case. As Alex delves further into the case, she uncovers a pattern which she believes ties the same woman to several similar murders.
Using exhaustive research and preparation as well as identity and appearance changes, Catherine weaves her web anew with each murder, killing a publishing magnate, a toy maker (Dennis Hopper), and a museum curator (Nicol Williamson), and is quickly moving on to her next victim: Paul Nuytten (Sami Frey), an international hotel tycoon. Later, she reveals that she has been married six times, and possibly has murdered all her husbands.
...
Wikipedia