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The movie is OK - more at the end - but it is an incredible mistake, about 10 minutes from the end, which made me register with IMDb just so I could let others know.

Near the end, there is a body floating upside down in a swimming pool. I won't give more details, so this does not become a spoiler.

When you get to this scene, watch the body. The person moves around, lifts the head up breathing... Amazing this made it through the final editing.

The movie itself is typical for TV movies - OK to watch when you want to kill a couple of hours, but nothing you'll remember for long. The story line is predictable - (is there anyone who would not predict the incident with the cell phone in the hotel room...) My family enjoyed watching it, and laughed for hours about the pool body scene.

This was apparently released in 2007, then re-cut and re-released in 2008.

It is a workable "journalist picks up story and tries to protect her friend from a Black Widow" storyline.

Alicia Coppola as the journalist does a decent job following the threads. Her longtime male friend does a good job as the "blinded by love" potential next victim.

The investigative phase is more-or-less plausible. Creative use of a Blackberry sets the timeframe. I am always amazed by how quickly a cellphone call connects in an American film!

The climax and denouement are efficiently handled, saving our heroine. This film helped to pass an afternoon spent ironing this week's laundry.

This is a classic example of mass produced television entertainment. Other than Elizabeth Berkley, these are all unknown actors and it shows.

The plot involves a newspaper photographer who is in love with a millionaire bachelor who thinks she is just a friend.

Along comes a knockout woman, apparently a rich donor who sweeps said bachelor off his feet. Photographer is jealous and begins to investigate the knockout and uncovers lot more than she ever expected.

The plot is so predictable that I bet you can figure out what happens just from the little I have told you.

I just can't understand why writers and producers think that this kind of pap is worth an hour and a half of anyone's time. Granted, we didn't have to pay for it, but shouldn't they at least try to be creative? Unless you like the spectacle of actors speaking cringe-worthy lines and struggling to keep from breaking down with laughter, then this is a must to avoid.

However, if you like tried-but-true plot lines that you've seen a million times, then grab a beer and bag of popcorn and enjoy.

The story was somewhat unbelievable particularly as it was set more or less in present day, i.e. use of internet and cell phones. So the 'baddies' in my mind would have never have been as 'successful' as they were made out to be in this film.

This film would have received a lower vote had it not been for the final goof at the end, at the pool scene, which made me reconsider and therefore upped it to a 3 for the sheer clumsiness of the cutting room editor. Or perhaps was this deliberately left in??

How this scene got through the cutting room is beyond me? However, it made for a great laugh for what I would consider a predictable TV film.

I am surprised by the overall rating of 5.5.

In Dallas Texas, a well-built man disrobes and takes a steamy shower for the cameras. He is joined by a seductive woman. After a nap, the man is shot dead. Three years later in Malibu, California, another muscular young millionaire meets alluring blonde Elizabeth Berkley (as Olivia Whitfield). Apparently, this woman makes a habit of marrying millionaires who get themselves killed off - leaving Ms. Berkley a wealthier and wealthier "Black Widow". This time, however, handsome victim Randall Batinkoff (as Daniel "Danny" Keegan) has a concerned female friend who decides to investigate the whirlwind courtship...

The other woman is "LA Post" photojournalist Alicia Coppola (as Melanie "Mel" Dempsey). We suspect she has what Berkley calls "unresolved feelings" for Mr. Batinkoff. This gives Ms. Coppola the chance to show some of the best acting among the leads; her reaction shots improve the others' performances. The only other thing of note is Berkley's cleavage. Director Armand Mastroianni is unable to build any mystery or suspense, but he gets TV Movie-level skin in. Possibly, because the last dead body moved too much, "Black Widow" was reedited and re-released as "Dark Beauty". Wisely, they rejected "Black Beauty".

**** Black Widow (2/21/08) Armand Mastroianni ~ Elizabeth Berkley, Alicia Coppola, Randall Batinkoff, Adriana DeMeo

Elizabeth Berkley actually does a half decent acting job in this, not like the trash job she did on Showgirls. And she looks different, like she's had plastic surgery or something. Definitely lost some weight.

Apparently the original version was called Black Widow? The current version playing as of October 2011 is called Dark Beauty, and has clearly been cut at the end to remove MOST of the blooper where 'Olivia' is shot and falls into the pool. Apparently in the original version, she made a surprising resurrection after dying. That part was cut out in the updated and renamed version, but you can still see her left leg kick like she's swimming after she is killed and falls into the pool.

I only got to see about the last half of this movie, I only watched it out of curiosity because Elizabeth Berkley was in it and I was channel surfing. What I saw of it was typically low-grade made-for-TV movie fare, made on the cheap. So this isn't a review of the whole movie, just a commentary on how disappointing was the half I saw. And I will register the bloopers I saw also.

Super predictable and reminded me of a boring lifetime movie. Cheesy music is playing every seen. Unless you are in the mood for an hour long soap oprah, dont waste your time. Watch the original 80's version with Debra Winger. Its much better.

Everyone who criticized Verhoeven for Showgirls should more than reconsider. How he got a quite nice acting job out of Elizabeth Berkley should make any director proud. I don't want to sound to mean, especially if you consider the material at hand here, but judging from what you see here, you never would have guessed she has it in her to be any (even only by little) better than this.

But it would be unfair to only judge her (even if she is one of the main roles in this, especially considering the title) and not the entire movie. It's just all over the place and predictable does not even start to describe it. And I have to admit that I didn't even notice the one big "blooper" (if you wanna call it that, it's more of a big mistake, which isn't the editors fault as much as the directors and the continuity people on set ... if there were any to begin with that is) that some of the other reviewers noticed, because I was longing for this to end. It's the pool scene towards the end. If you want more info about that, without having to watch the movie, read the other reviews, I won't spoil that.

Black Widows are probably ashamed being associated with this movie ... that would be guess ;o)

This film only received 15% on Rotten Tomatoes but I thought it was worth a 9 out of 10 spot. I thought the acting was a very good cinematography was beautiful and I highly recommend this one