Black Widow

R

Released Feb 6, 1987

1h 42m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

List

54%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Federal agent Alexandra Barnes (Debra Winger) believes that Catherine Petersen (Theresa Russell) is a serial killer who marries rich men and then murders them for their money. But since Catherine is seemingly a master of disguise and has multiple identities, Alexandra can't prove anything with conventional detective work. With no other option, she goes undercover, pursuing the same man (Sami Frey) as Catherine, and hoping that Catherine will slip up and reveal her true identity.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Another pleasant surprise of the year was discovering that I could actually like–as opposed to respect and/or squirm through–a Bob Rafelson movie.

May 10, 2022

Full Review

Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

... it's good to see the director of "Five Easy Pieces" in the saddle again.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Black Widow is an interesting movie struggling to escape from a fatal overload of commercial considerations.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Eve Tushnet

Patheos

Don’t let Winger’s mousy-for-Hollywood appearance fool you: This is definitely a game of cat and other cat! It’s silly and mostly notable for the explicit sapphic overtones.

Jan 31, 2023

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a relatively familiar premise that is, for the most part, utilized to better-than-expected effect by Rafelson...

Rated: 3/4

May 12, 2020

Full Review

Kathi Maio

Sojourner

The femme fatale [is] brilliantly portrayed by the ravishing Theresa Russell.

Aug 28, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Roger S

Great 80s suspense thriller.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/24/24

Full Review

TeaAnn T

I came for a psycho-thriller, I stayed for the characters and now I'm very invested in them. They don't make 'em like this anymore!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/23/23

Full Review

Steve D

The actors are good. The film is not.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/02/23

Full Review

not o

natasha roman off thats how a superhero learns to flyyyyyyy

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

jon c

What's deadlier than a black widow spider? An actual black widow in-person that marries over and over again losing a spouse under unusual circumstances Theresa Russell and Debra Winger star in a female-driven psychological thriller Federal agent Alex Barnes wants to discover the mystery of Catherine Petersen; she's married several men whom have mysteriously died It's like she disappears then reappears as if nothing happened But getting to the root of it all could be fatal Catherine is a master of blending in with multiple identities and Alex's superiors don't have a shred of evidence to pursue the case So Alex decides to go undercover thinking like Catherine learning her methods Will she succeed hoping this widow slips up? In many respects this movie was "woke" before anyone knew what "woke" was supposed to mean It's all about female empowerment, to both positive and negative ends, and pivots on the challenges women face in a male-dominated environment A fairly feminist picture; it even uses gender politics to enhance its story It doesn't use its story to promote an argument about gender politics Both women work well together even separate although it's more of a slow potboiler Some might find it formulaic and tepid but the film has two strong leading ladies

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Like a Lifetime movie with better lighting. Russell is her usual laughably bad, while Winger acts as if she lost a bet. Unconvincing & far-fetched with nonsensical/hard-to-follow leaps in time & logic. Hawaii looks nice, though. #nitrosMovieChallenge

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/26/22

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Bob Rafelson

Director

Debra Winger

Alexandra "Alex" Barnes

Theresa Russell

Catharine Petersen

Sami Frey

Paul Nuytten

Dennis Hopper

Ben Dumers

Nicol Williamson

William McCrory

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Silence of the Lambs

95%

95%

The Silence of the Lambs

Jackie Brown

88%

85%

Jackie Brown

Frantic

77%

64%

Frantic

52 Pick-Up

53%

47%

52 Pick-Up

Manhunter

94%

77%

Manhunter

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Snapshots from the "Night at the Museum"

Lionsgate Squashes the "Black Widow"

View more photos

Synopsis

Federal agent Alexandra Barnes (Debra Winger) believes that Catherine Petersen (Theresa Russell) is a serial killer who marries rich men and then murders them for their money. But since Catherine is seemingly a master of disguise and has multiple identities, Alexandra can't prove anything with conventional detective work. With no other option, she goes undercover, pursuing the same man (Sami Frey) as Catherine, and hoping that Catherine will slip up and reveal her true identity.

Director: Bob Rafelson
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 6, 1987, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 24, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.7M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now