Theresa Russell seduces rich men by conforming to their dreams in terms of appearance and behaviour, marries them, and then kills them. She thinks her means are undetectable. But Justice Department investigator Debra Winger has noticed a pattern, and becomes obsessed with tracking Russell down. She follows her to Hawaii (where she is working on her latest target), befriends her, and the stage is set for a psychological chess game.
The idea is promising, but the execution is uninspired. There is too much time spent on pretty pictures of Hawaii, and the narrative lacks drive, eroticism or real suspense. We are told that the two characters are obsessed, but aren't properly shown that they are, or even why they are. Finally, the resolution is particularly unconvincing.
The sound is 2.0, but is a pretty solid, impressive 2.0. The image is available in both fullscreen and 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen aspects.
Basic menu, and the extras are two TV spots and the theatrical trailer, along with trailers for Don't Say a Word, High Crimes and Joy Ride.
Middling stuff by every measure. Not great, not bad. Just kinda there.
A Two Person Noir
You can just about forget everyone else in this film other than Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. This sexy film is basically a two person film noir shot in bright colors, some of it in Hawaii. It is filled with excitement and seduction. Both the leads are wonderful to watch, their chemistry magnificent in this Bob Rafelson (Man Trouble, Five Easy Pieces) film.
Debra Winger is Alex Barnes, bogged down in a government desk job dealing with statistics. But when she sees a pattern of deaths that lead to Theresa Russell, a dangerously beautiful woman with ice in her veins, she becomes obsessed with catching a killer. Theresa Russell, who has used more names than Jason Bourne, is just as smart as she is sexy, and almost the entire film is one long seduction scene as Russell spins her web around Alex.
It seems a lot of rich men have suddenly died on Russell and Alex knows why. She is what is called a Black Widow, a woman who mates and then kills. No one has found any evidence to prove it, however, and Alex's attempt to catch her at it becomes murky as a seduction begins to take place.
The locations and the stars are beautiful and as Winger and Russell circle each other in this game with deadly stakes you can't take your eyes off them. Winger's Alex is smart and determined, but vulnerable, and Russell gives a flawless and sexy performance as a smart and icy beauty with a heart full of venom.
The electricity between the two characters jumps off the screen. The pool scene where they first meet gives us an indication of what is to come as Alex attempts to get close to Russell, with some unexpected twists. The formost of these is a scene when Alex gives Russell a Black Widow pendant, a spider who mates and kills its lover. Russell's response plays with the fragile but determined Alex as she begins to doubt herself.
You don't want to miss this one. It's gorgeous to look at and has two riveting performances from Winger and Russell. You can't find a better one than this.
She mates and she kills...
Fiesty Federal Investigator is hot on the trail of a husband-killer, but to catch her she has to think like the killer thinks and play her game...I would love to see a rematch of these two dynamite femme stars, Debra Winger and Theresa Russell. The movie world needs them. Russell, as an actress, generally lacks Winger's inner-fire, but some of her close-ups are more revealing than her dialogue anyway(watch for the scene on the beach after the scuba diving accident). In 1987, this was considered a modest hit which got generally good reviews(Roger Ebert panned it, however). So it's fair to say the movie is highly underrated and should be seen by anyone who loves a good mystery or a great acting match between two top-flight stars. Supporting performances are also very good, and the direction is tricky & tight right up until the final scene(which seems a little rushed). Great cinematography, suspenseful music by Michael Small, incredible Winger & Russell!
I saw this at Movie Trading Company for $3.99 and on sale for $1.99. So I went on a big limd and bought it. I wasn't that suprised about it, it wasn't that good. Goldie Hawn did a pretty good job. The actor for the husband was a little pradictable. The ending was a suprise, but all in all a pretty good movie. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Goldie Hawn - John Heard Director(s): Damian Harris DVD Release Date: Released the 30 September 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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So many people knocked this movie, but I really liked it. De Mornay and Johnson gave great performances in it, and the plot was suspenseful. Rebecca and Don are two of the best looking actors around, too. Together, they are terrific. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Rebecca De Mornay - Don Johnson Director(s): Sidney Lumet DVD Release Date: Released the 01 July 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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While scoring high-profile credits as a screenwriter (including The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark), Lawrence Kasdan made his directorial debut with this steamy, contemporary film noir in the tradition of Double Indemnity and other classics from the 1940s. In one of his most memorable roles, William Hurt plays a Florida lawyer unwittingly drawn into a web of deceit spun by Kathleen Turner (in her screen debut) as a married socialite who plots to kill off her husband with Hurt's assistance. Kasdan's dialogue is a hoot (sometimes it borders on satire), and the sultry atmosphere is a perfect complement to the perspiration-soaked chemistry between Hurt and Turner, whose love scenes caused quite a stir when the film was released... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): William Hurt - Kathleen Turner Director(s): Lawrence Kasdan DVD Release Date: Released the 18 November 1997 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Before screenwriter Joe Eszterhas wrote the ridiculous Showgirls, he crafted some entertaining if porous thrillers along the lines of the 1985 Jagged Edge, a taut mystery about an attorney (Glenn Close) who defends a newspaper publisher (Jeff Bridges) accused of murder. The fact that Close's character falls for him is more convenient than plausible, but it is a necessary emotional bridge for Eszterhas and the late director Richard Marquand (Eye of the Needle) to build toward a powerful finale. Scary, fun as courtroom dramas go, the film is well serviced by the two lead stars and has impressive support from costar Peter Coyote and especially from Robert Loggia, who plays Close's cop buddy. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Glenn Close - Jeff Bridges Director(s): Richard Marquand DVD Release Date: Released the 28 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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