V. I. Warshawski
Director: Jeff
Kanew
Year: 1991
Rating: 5.5
V.I.
Warshawski is a private detective - can't say private dick because she is
female - in a series of over twenty novels from 1982 to the present day from
Sara Paretsky. Chicago is her turf. Back in 1982 female detectives were very
unusual - women solved crimes but as amateurs - but V.I. was a tough detective
in the hard-boiled tradition. There have been many female private detectives
since in literature, less so in films. As Hollywood does, they pick one of
her books and change pretty much everything about the plot. They can't help
themselves. At least they chose Kathleen Turner to portray her. She gives
the character a brittle sarcastic, take no shit attitude with her famous
smokey voice which every detective should have. She even has an apartment
that looks out on Wrigley Field. But the film lets her down. Except
for a nice twisty violent ending, it is no better than an episode of Rockford.
Bland and by the numbers. And it bombed. Goodbye V.I. Warshawski.
