Blu-ray Review: Black Widow (1987) - Twilight Time Limited Edition

Director Bob Rafelson's Black Widow is a sturdy thriller from 1987 about a woman who preys upon rich men. She moves from victim to victim using assumed identities, first marrying then subsequently murdering each one. Theresa Russell plays the woman of many names to an icy tee. Debra Winger co-stars as a Justice Department agent Alex Barnes, the woman who detects a link between the mysterious deaths of otherwise healthy men. Specialty reissue label Twilight Time has brought Black Widow to Blu-ray as a limited edition of 3,000 copies.

At best, Black Widow plays as a poor man's Hitchcock thriller. At worst, it's overly talky and slow moving. The cat-and-mouse game between the female leads is the engine that drives the narrative. Both Russell and Winger are more than up to the challenge. The striking opening credits, powered by a dramatic Michael Small score (available on this edition as a isolated track), promise a bit more lurid suspense than director Rafelson ends up delivering. The year following Widow screenwriter Ronald Bass won the Oscar for Rain Man, but here he seems intent on telegraphing most plot points. In fact, there's no real mystery in what Russell's femme fatale is up to right from the outset.