Black Widow

Black Widow was released in 1987 and directed by Bob Rafelson. Rather than simply retelling the plot, the film is worth revisiting for the characters, conflicts and ideas that give its story its identity.

Greed, Mortality and lifespan and Loss emerge through what the characters face and the choices they make, giving the story more to explore beyond its immediate plot. Alexandra / Jessie, Catharine / Rennie / Margaret / Marielle and Paul Nuytten do not begin the film seeing one another clearly, and watching those first impressions break down is a big part of why Black Widow still works.

Justice Department data analyst Alexandra Barnes grows suspicious of the deaths by respiratory failure of several seemingly healthy wealthy men due to a rare condition called Ondine's curse, each married within months to younger wives.

Comparing photographs, Alexandra determines the wives are the same woman, wearing different hair colors and styling to look older as a disguise. That detail matters because it shapes the way the characters initially see one another.

One victim is Manhattan publishing magnate Sam Peterson, whose younger wife of six months, "Catharine" (her true name is never disclosed), inherits his estate. From there, the film can concentrate less on explaining the setup and more on what happens between the people inside it.

Next, Catharine relocates to Dallas, Texas, affecting a Southern accent and posing as "Marielle".

Seducing and marrying toy company owner Ben Dumers, she subsequently poisons a bottle of expensive liquor, which kills him while "Marielle" is on a trip away from home.

After Ben's death, his sister, Etta, unsuccessfully attempts to contest his will, but is silenced by Catharine's gift of $500,000.

Next, Catharine moves to Seattle.

After extensive research, presenting herself as an anthropologist named "Margaret," she buys her way onto the board of directors of a local historical museum.

"Margaret" dazzles wealthy curator William McCrory, resulting in a whirlwind romance and marriage.

Black Widow has more on its mind than the basic setup suggests. greed sits close to the centre of the film, but it is explored through the characters rather than treated like a lesson.

mortality and lifespan matters just as much. The film keeps challenging the assumptions its characters make about one another, which is where much of its emotional weight comes from.

There is also plenty here about loss and mortality. Those ideas overlap rather than sitting in separate boxes, which helps the movie feel like a story about people rather than a checklist of themes.

Black Widow could hardly be separated from the decade that produced it. Released in 1987, it carries the attitudes, style and filmmaking rhythms of the 1980s without needing to announce them.

It also sits comfortably within the era's crime and erotic thriller filmmaking, even if the movie itself is more interesting than any single genre label suggests. That is part of why it still appears in conversations about 1980s movies and 1980s crime movies. The film has become tied not only to its own story but to the wider memory of what 1980s movies felt like.

Watching Black Widow now means seeing both what has lasted and what unmistakably belongs to 1987.

What still works best is the human material. Ideas around greed, mortality and lifespan and loss have not stopped being relevant simply because the clothes, language and cultural references belong to another era.

Some moments inevitably land differently for a modern audience. Revisiting an older film properly means enjoying what still works without pretending every choice has aged equally well.

A large part of that staying power comes from the characters. Alexandra / Jessie, Catharine / Rennie / Margaret / Marielle and Paul Nuytten are still useful shorthand for the personalities and pressures the film explores.

Black Widow has lasted because people continue to recognise something in it. Nostalgia helps, but nostalgia alone does not keep a movie in the conversation for decades.