V.I. Warshawski (1991)

A female PI babysitting for a boyfriend gets stuck with his daughter and the case of her murdered father.

Director:

Jeff Kanew

Writers:

Sara Paretsky ('V.I. Warshawski' novels), Edward Taylor (screen story)

Stars:

Kathleen Turner, Jay O. Sanders, Charles Durning

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathleen Turner	...	Vic
Jay O. Sanders	...	Murray
Charles Durning	...	Lt. Mallory
Angela Goethals	...	Kat
Nancy Paul	...	Paige
Frederick Coffin	...	Horton
Charles McCaughan	...	Trumble
Stephen Meadows	...	Boom-Boom
Wayne Knight	...	Smeissen
Lynnie Godfrey	...	Sal
Anne Pitoniak	...	Lotty
Stephen Root	...	Mickey
Robert Clotworthy	...	Philip Pugh
Tom Allard	...	Big Eddie
Mike Hagerty	...	Babe (as Michael G. Hagerty)

Storyline

Victoria "V.I" Warshawski is a Chicago based private detective who agrees to babysit for her new boyfriend; then he is murdered. Being the detective type, she makes the murder her next case. In doing so she befriends the victim's daughter, Kat, and together they set out to crack the case.

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Plot Keywords:

camera shot of feet | foot closeup | female stockinged feet | pantyhose | chicago illinois | 

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Taglines:

V.I. Warshawski: A private detective with a name as tough as she is.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and moments of violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

V.I. Warshawski, Detective in High Heels

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,603,338, 28 July 1991

Gross USA:

$11,128,309

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,128,309

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV, Chestnut Hill Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Among other changes, producers wanted to set the film in Baltimore and cast either Amy Madigan, Bette Midler or Jane Fonda as Warshawski. Paretsky, however, was thrilled with the selection of Kathleen Turner.

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Goofs

Late in the film, Victoria "V.I." Warshawski (Kathleen Turner) returns to Smeissen's (Wayne Knight) hideout to get some information out of him. She goes upstairs to his office and, as a warning, fires her gun at a bowl of walnuts sitting on his desk. The film cuts to a reaction shot of Smeissen, then back to the wide shot. Several items on the desk have moved on their own. Most notably, the red file folder has gone from sitting under the bowl of walnuts to sitting next to it. The phone straightened itself out, and the walnuts that flew out of the bowl have drastically changed positions.

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Quotes

Victoria "V.I." Warshawski: My face got betrayed by my mouth.

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Connections

Referenced in High Heels and Low Lifes (2001)

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Soundtracks

El Son De La Manta
Arrangement written by Alfredo Lopez, Fernando Nataren and Abel Rocha
Performed by "Quetzalcoatl" SM
Courtesy of Luna Blanca

User Reviews

Beauty, Brains, Story and Great one-liners!

I keep thinking the other people who have commented on this movie saw a different movie than I did. I totally enjoyed it, Kathleen Turner delivers a wisecrack better than anyone and her mocking laugh in the bathtub scene is too much! She shows her vulnerable side yet you know that V.I. can take care of herself when she has to. The foul mouthed little girl made me cringe a little with her first words in the movie. The chemistry between V.I. and the girl works for me. Randy Edleman's music for the movie really delivers as well. My test of a film really centers on the characters. If I like the characters and care about them that's usually enough. This film has a story which is more than I can say for other more popular films. I would give it 4 stars out of 5.