gavin6942 A federal investigator (Debra Winger) tracks down a gold digging woman (Theresa Russell) who moves from husband to husband, kills them and collects the inheritance.What I loved most about this film is Terry O'Quinn's mustache. O'Quinn always has a great performance, but he doesn't always have a mustache. So, for that, I thank whoever asked him to wear one.This movie was directed by Bob Rafelson (who really peaked from 1968-1972), which explains the small Dennis Hopper cameo. If you were watching it for Hopper, you will be disappointed. And overall it is rather slow for a "thriller" with very little suspense. Some have called it a "film noir", but I think that's a stretch.

OllieSuave-007 This is a creepy and alluring crime thriller starring Debra Winger as Alexandra, a federal agent who is committed to tracking down Catharine (Theresa Russell), a serial killer who marries her husbands and then poisons them to get their fortune.The plot is well-paced and the acting is good - intriguing to see the beautiful but deadly Catharine do her husbands in one at a time while Alexandra struggles to make a case against her, even going as far as posing as her friend in order to obtain enough evidence to arrest her. With Catharine's obsession with money and with Alexandra's obsession in catching the killer are two plot elements that compliment each other well and gives the movie good pacing and suspenseful elements that leaves little room for boring fillers. I would have like to see some actual action, though, and it would have been nice to explain how Catharine was able to escape her crimes and assume a new identity so easily every time.Overall, it's a fun thriller who surprises and unpredictable moments.Grade B+

filmalamosa Debra Winger plays the nosy who dunnit sleuth who tracks down Theresa Russell (the black widow) a young woman whose older rich husbands mysteriously die leaving her richer and richer.I watched this movie when it first came out and I couldn't believe I was watching the same thing I don't remember it being so bad! This movie did not age well.The beginning is really the worst part once you get to Seattle it stops being so clichéd juvenile & cheesy corny and slow. The Dallas part was particularly horrible with the fake Southern accents and three inch bright red finger nails. It has the feel of a B or made for TV thing yet clearly was shot on location etc...It would have been so much better if Russell had gotten away with it....but this is Hollywood corn at its height--none of that.Richly well filmed must have cost a lot. Needs a lot more subtlety.The movie was fairly popular at the time and made over 25 million dollars.There are a lot worst things out there.

seymourblack-1 "Black Widow" is an entertaining thriller about a psychopathic killer called Catherine Paterson (Theresa Russell) whose modus operandi involves marrying and murdering wealthy men before inheriting their fortunes and disappearing without trace. This woman of many identities is eventually pursued by a government agent and an unusual and intriguing relationship soon develops between the hunter and the hunted.When a Justice Department agent who's involved in analysing computer data inadvertently discovers the existence of a series of deaths that bear certain similarities to each other, she becomes convinced that they're all the work of a serial killer. Unfortunately for Alexandra "Alex" Barnes (Debra Winger), her suspicions are based on intuition rather than hard evidence and she's unable to convince any of her colleagues or superiors that her findings warrant investigation.The cases that Alex has studied involve the deaths of middle aged men who were married to a significantly younger woman. They had all died in their sleep and their deaths had been attributed to a rare condition called Ondine's Curse. Alex's persistence eventually pays off and she's authorised to go undercover to identify her suspect and prevent any further victims from being added to the list.Alex's investigations lead her to Hawaii where she meets up with her suspect and the two women develop a friendship and become attracted to the same man. Catherine marries Paul Nuytten (Sami Frey) who's an international hotelier but when the police are investigating his apparent murder, they find evidence which points to Alex's guilt and she seems to be in a tight spot when she subsequently gets arrested and imprisoned.An unusual feature of this movie is the nature of the relationship which develops between Catherine and Alex. The two women are quite different as Catherine is glamorous and Alex dresses in a style which is more dowdy and unattractive. Alex seems to deliberately play down her femininity but at the same time appears to be fascinated by Catherine who unashamedly and very successfully, uses her sexuality to get whatever she wants.The sexual undercurrent which is hinted at initially is reinforced in a scene in which the two women practice mouth to mouth resuscitation on each other and also on another occasion when Catherine grabs Alex and kisses her aggressively. They bond by sharing things but there's also a lack of trust between them as neither loses sight of the fact that they are actually adversaries.Catherine Paterson is a fascinating femme fatale who's very meticulous in researching her potential victims. She's very skilled at learning all the things she might need to know to communicate easily with her targets and also has a marvellous ability to change everything about herself in order to snare her next victim. Depending on which husband she has at the time, Catherine is variously seen as being sophisticated, a woman with a strong Texan accent or a more reserved lady who's rather demure.Theresa Russell is particularly good at conveying Catherine's mysterious nature, her uncertain motivations and of course, the different characteristics she assumes when she's in the company of her various husbands. Debra Winger gives a fine performance as the dedicated workaholic who's obsessed with Catherine and determined to bring her to justice. The supporting cast are also good and James Hong is terrific in his minor role as a sleazy and sharp tongued private eye.