Customer Reviews

The Vanishing / Black Widow

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Claimed to be in both full and wide screen. But, not so. Either side is full screen!

My copy DOES have the full-screen/wide-screen options and both are working fine - wish all dvd's had this choice. Two great movies, if you enjoy thrillers, at a great price!

Of these two films in one package, Black Widow is the better drama. It's a mystery in the classic style. The guilt of the killer (played to the hilt by a sultry Theresa Russell) is not in question. The issue is how the investigator (Debra Winger) will catch her, after tracking her across the country. The plot is clever, the narrative moves along nicely, and the direction by veteran Bob Rafaelson features some beautiful visuals, particularly after the action moves from the Pacific Northwest to Hawaii. By comparison, the Vanishing is a remake of a European film, with some differences in the plot. The events are, however, curiously implausible. Distraught after the disappearance and apparent death of his girlfriend (a then-unknown Sandra Bullock), Kiefer Sutherland makes sustained efforts to find the killer, only to fall under his spell when he finally meets the murderer in person. In sum, Black Widow works well; the Vanishing falls short.

This is an excellent double set. Both are excellent thrillers. In "The Vanishing" while Keifer Sutherland and his fiancé Sandra Bullock are at a gas station she suddenly disappears. He believes she is kidnapped and searches relentlessly for three years before beginning another life with a new lady played by Nancy Travis. When he is about to completly give up on his previous girlfriend, the kidnapper contacts him. Beau Bridges is effective as the scientific kidnapper that is merely conducting a deadly experiament. His family life can not keep him happy enough so as a scientist he must try something against the laws of good. After Sutherland meets him it looks like he will meet his fiancés same fate. His life hangs on the fact his new girlfriend has followed him and taken the kidnappers daughter for a ride. What happens next is very suspenseful. If you enjoyed this be sure to catch "Breakdown".

In "Black Widow" Theresa Russell is effective as a woman that marries wealthy men and then disposes of them in clever ways that look like normal deaths. A detective played by Debra Winger starts suspecting the string of deaths when she finds an unusual blood test from one. She relentlessly tracks Russell but can't prove anything. When she finally trails her to Hawaii she gets overly zealous and gets to close to the next victim to be. She then gets herself into trouble with the law and thrown into jail trying to prove Russell's guilt when he is killed. How will she prove her own innocence and the Widows guilt? I recommend this DVD set. It is a good value. If you enjoyed this be sure to catch "American Gigolo".

CA Luster