Il gioco della vedova nera

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 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 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

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.

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.