Black Widow

Alexandra Barnes is a federal agent whose work leaves little room for a private life, a point her superiors keep raising. While investigating a string of deaths among wealthy men, she notices similarities that suggest a single killer is behind them. The trail leads her to Catharine, a woman who marries rich men, changes her appearance and identity from one marriage to the next, and then walks away with their fortunes. Because Catharine leaves no usable evidence, Alexandra cannot build a conventional case against her, so she goes undercover and deliberately enters the same social circles, hoping Catharine will eventually expose herself.

Bob Rafelson directed the film from a screenplay by Ronald Bass, with Harold Schneider producing. It followed The Postman Always Rings Twice in Rafelson's filmography and sits between Stay Hungry and Man Trouble. Debra Winger plays Alexandra and Theresa Russell plays Catharine; the cast also includes Sami Frey, Dennis Hopper, Nicol Williamson and Terry O'Quinn. Released in February 1987, the thriller runs 102 minutes and was made for about 11 million dollars, going on to take roughly 25 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 6.4 rating from around 12,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.2 from a much smaller base of 236 votes. The film critics' rating of 5.3 from 24 reviews places it below both audience scores.