(Well, I guess that‘s one way to get rich…)
CAST: Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Dennis Hopper, Nicol Williamson, Sami Frey, Terry O’Quinn, D.W. Moffet, Diane Ladd, Leo Rossi.
DIRECTOR: Bob Rafelson
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and two hot chicks squaring off against each other - straight ahead…
The thing that I love the most about the Thriller and Horror Genres is that, contrary to popular belief, they are usually female-driven with strong heroines fronting many of them, or at least co-starring. But what I don’t like about the Thriller and Horror Genres is that, despite their usually capable heroines, they generally revolve around female victims. Even films with solid and complex heroines like THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, COPYCAT, SLIVER, THE CARD PLAYER, and THE BEDROOM WINDOW, unfortunately also pivoted around a plot where women were victimized by male antagonists.
So, it’s a welcome change, then, to encounter a film like BLACK WIDOW wherein a woman is the one preying on the men. Why shouldn’t men get to be imperiled for a change? Who says they always have to be the ones doing the chasing. In BLACK WIDOW, it’s a woman who gets to the chasing - while another woman chases her. And I don’t mean in a KISSING JESSICA STEIN way. Although there are some hints of that. Ahem.
Our villain is Rinny Walker (Theresa Russell), a fabulously wealthy chick who has come to Hawaii to vacation - and to find a new husband. At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Big fucking whoop - without those chicks Hawaii would go under…” Yes, you’re right. But our Rinny is a little different. To wit, she: (1) is also known as Catherine, Marielle, or Margaret - depending on whether you are in New York, Dallas, or Seattle; (2) has been married thrice before under these aliases; and (3) killed all three of her husbands with poison and passed the deaths off as natural causes - and made off with their money.
To the Gold Diggers in the audience, please do not try this at home. There are safer, faster, and less illegal ways to get rich. This only has a chance in hell of working if you have Theresa Russell’s cat-like allure. Or if you’re a character in a thriller. Anyhow, Rinny has lucked out three times with her schtick of “loving ‘em-and-losing ‘em (with poison).” And has become a very rich woman because of it.
Fortunately, there are actually some law enforcement folks who actually show up for work and pay attention. She is our heroine, Alex Barnes (Debra Winger), and she is an analyst for the Department of Justice. While trying to sniff out a pattern in mafia-related killings, Alex inadvertently stumbles across the all-too-similar deaths of Rinny’s first two husbands. Supposedly, they died from some crap called Ondine’s Curse - which causes unexplained fatal interruption in breathing. The same thing that, you know, poison does. Jesus Christ, these people…
Anyhow, Alex proves to be worthy of her title of “DOJ Bloodhound Analyst” and starts to suspect that the wives of the dead rich men from New York and Dallas are one and the same. And that this woman has basically decided her lottery ticket is acting as the human version of a black widow spider - except the spiders don’t get to have very fat portfolios and financial statements. Hence the title. No, they didn’t call this flick BLACK WIDOW because GOLD-DIGGING MURDEROUS WHORE was already taken.
Sadly, while Alex is indeed a talented sleuth, she is not quite quick enough to keep Rinny (locally known as Margaret) from killing her husband in Seattle. By the time Alex shows up there, the cops are basically wrapping everything shut and calling it - you got it - Ondine’s curse - and Margaret has basically scampered off to Hawaii to become - you got it - Rinny. And the Seattle PD basically laughs Alex out of the office when she tells them her “Black Widow” theory. I should mention that the cops doing the “That’s interesting, now run along, toots” routine are all men. Natch.
So, even more determined now (if that’s even remotely possible) to nab her quarry, Alex quits her DOJ gig, hops on the next plane to Hawaii - and basically turns into Renee Russo from THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, only she’s not chasing a billionaire playboy thief, but rather, a millionaire gold-digger murderess. In other words: let the games begin. In even more words: the chase is on, baby.
Not long after arriving in Hawaii, Alex “runs into” Rinny - only she’s changed her name to Jessica Bates. Rinny and “Jessica” instantly hit it off as pals, and Rinny even introduces her to Paul (Sami Frey), a local billionaire. You know what that means, right? If Rinny has anything to say about it, his days as a bachelor - and living human being - are numbered.
Will Alex step in and warn Paul about Rinny’s past? Or will she fall under Rinny’s spell, as well? Is Rinny completely oblivious to the fact that “Jessica” is an undercover agent for the Department of Justice? Or has she been playing Alex all along? What happens when Alex finds herself falling for Paul? How is this bizarre love triangle going to be resolved? And the most important question of all: are the cops in New York, Dallas, and Seattle as dense as this movie makes them out to be?
Well, let’s at least hope some of the cops are hot. That more than makes up for it.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Almost European in its methodical way of telling its story and fleshing out its characters, BLACK WIDOW is a prime example of a film that succeeds because of its execution. Taking its sweet time to unfold, while also delineating the people who inhabit its sensual world, was the right way to go with this thriller. It’s a very “feminine” style, and considering the film revolves around two women in a very intriguing relationship with one another, it’s entirely appropriate. A more kinetic, gritty, and linear treatment would’ve ruined this film’s surreal, dreamy vibe - and, hence, the movie itself.
Equal parts Hitchcockian thriller, modern film-noir, and twin character studies, BLACK WIDOW works as well as it does because all of these elements are expertly-weaved in the script. From the first act, when Alex first catches on to the string of deaths that everyone else has missed and starts her investigation, to the middle act that sees Alex and Rinny’s growing relationship, to the third act where they morally square off against each other, this movie never lets go of your attention - and your emotions. Director Bob Rafelson cannily appeals to our feelings and senses, making BLACK WIDOW a seductive experience from beginning to end.
The supporting cast is very good, with Sami Frey, Dennis Hopper, and Nicol Williamson all vivid and distinct as the various husbands who fall prey to Rinny. Frey gets the most screen time, and he hits all the right notes of exotic appeal, manly stoicism, and intriguing mystery - making it understandable why Alex would find herself falling for him against her better judgement.
But this film belongs to its female leads. In a word, Theresa Russell and Debra Winger are sensational. The danger with a character like Rinny is you risk weakening her by providing too much backstory. With villains, sometimes the less you know about why they do what they do, the better. With Rinny, we only get tantalizing, oblique hints as to what has driven her to become a serial murderess - albeit an elegant one. And this makes her endlessly fascinating. Rinny has the ability to be a chameleon, and to turn herself into what her latest victim wants and needs, and it takes a very talented actress to play that complexity believably. And Theresa Russell is that actress.
More than matching Russell is Debra Winger as the rough-around-the-edges but brilliant Alex Barnes. Someone once said to me that “vision is the ability to see something that no one else can.” It can mean seeing the great potential in a person who everyone else dismisses - which makes you fight to the death for that person. Or it can mean seeing an end result that everyone else deems unattainable. Or it can simply mean believing in your convictions enough to stand by them. And that is what Alex Barnes has. Intuitively, she hones in on the truth behind the seemingly unrelated deaths of Rinny’s past husbands, when no one else thinks anything is wrong.
But Alex is more than just keen-witted intellectual abilities. She’s also human. This is evidenced by her unexpected attraction to Paul. Her job of nabbing Rinny would be a lot easier if she didn’t have to wrestle with her growing feelings for him. The scenes where Alex and Paul bond, and Alex has to drop her “tough cookie” façade to reveal the nervous woman beneath, unaccustomed to attention from handsome men, are some of BLACK WIDOW’s best. And Debra Winger beautifully plays all of Alex’s sides - hard, soft, and in-between. It’s a shame we see so very little of her these days.
Special mention should be made for BLACK WIDOW’s vibrant and lush cinematography, which breathes additional atmosphere into almost every scene. Whether New York, Seattle, Dallas, or Hawaii, the settings burst into colorful life. This is one beautiful movie to look at. It’s also a great movie to listen to: Michael Small’s score is one of the best unreleased scores I have ever heard: brooding, romantic, ominous, suspenseful, seductive, thrilling, and unforgettable. Someone please release this music somehow!
(UPDATE: I've just learned that Michael Small's score for BLACK WIDOW was released in 2006 on an extremely limited run of 1200 copies. My copy is on its way! YIPPEEE!!!!)
All in all, BLACK WIDOW is a film that appeals to the senses and emotions. It may not be able to withstand too much intellectual scrutiny, but as Alfred Hitchcock himself has proven with his films: a thriller is about thrills - and thrills are primarily born from emotion. Even so-called intellectual thrills.
