"Black Widow" (1987)

I remember going to my friend's condo back when I was 11 and we'd go through the T.V. Guide circling all the movies that had "N" which signified "Nudity" This was at a time when they'd play the same movie over and over again. BUT...these movies you had to catch late at night. I got giddy knowing I'd see Teresa Russell tits.

The movie bored me to tears, and you have to wait a while to see it. And even then, it was so dark. You saw a little bit of tits and muff. Now that I'm older, the movie is pretty prescient to why I like murder mysteries so much. She mates, then she kills. Duh! You expect her to kill and then mate?

Years before Sharon Stone showed her snatch during an interrogation in “Basic Instinct”, another frosty blonde, who is cold as ice and mean as a snake graced the movies. Another Catherine, except spelled Catharine in this movie, played viciously and equally as cunning by Theresa Russell.

Russell was always great spank bank material. Just because she just seemed like such a cunt. I went out with a girl who resembled her, down to that mean grey/blue eyed stare. Could be vindictive and angry. But the world saw her as peaches and cream. The flip side to her is Alexandra, a Federal worker who does…statistics for the guys in the field. Played by Debra Winger, she does the perfect woman-behind-desk frustrated. A single woman whose work identifies her. She is that type of dog with a bone that upsets the people who care most about her. Fortunately for her, the list is non-existent. We don’t know much about her. Just tidbits. And that she lives to solve this black widow case. The problem with her character, is that it was played by Debra Winger. During this time, it wasn’t a secret of her horrible cocaine habit. And her difficulty in getting through a production. In this movie, she is suppose to play an innocent. Ambitious and thorough. In real life, it’s hard not to see her life falling apart. I think that’s why this movie didn’t do well at the box office then what it should’ve.

But in regards to the story, in these modern days, you can bet it’s easy to determine who this woman is by simple clicks of the mouse on the internet. But we’re in the 80’s, everything is a cell phone. Especially for rich older men who do background checks. A woman like Catharine would work harder to conceal her past now than before. In this case, they still do an amazing job of showing the lengths to which Catharine is dedicated to this serial killing. What is it about her that makes her this way? Who knows? The solution isn’t in her psyche, she just can’t stop. Much like “Basic Instinct” Catherine Trammel just wants to watch the game to the end. What is her motivation? Does she hate men? That’s inconsequential. The point is, she now has a playing partner. In this movie, it’s another woman. And she’s intrigued how desperate this mousy paper pusher is to catching her.

There is no way Joe Ezterhas didn’t watch this movie before he wrote “Basic Instinct.” Or for that matter Paul Verhoeven as well, since the music score is DEAD ON the same. But whatever. This was deftly and oddly put together by Bob Rafelson. A strange movie since it’s more film noir than his usual working class prattling. It is also worth noting, this movie was shot by Conrad Hall, who if you watch this side by side with “Tequila Sunrise” you’d be blind not to see he borrowed a great deal from himself.

A decent movie worth watching to the end. It’s stylish and cool. Typical cat and mouse. And a nice twist to who is really who.