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Emmy Rossum in “Furious.” Credit: Courtesy of Disney.
Furious rocks. Well-written, packed with terrific performances (especially by leads Emmy Rossum, Lola Petticrew, Scoot McNairy, and breakout star Quincy Tyler Bernstine), and offering a nuanced, detailed look at the chain of violence caused by abuse, it landed on a lot of people’s “must-watch” lists this year. One reason it resonated so much is the visceral power of its core stories—the three primary women in Furious are righteously justified in their rage, depressingly limited in what they can do about it, and struggling to keep their heads above water in an unfair world where the smallest bit of respect can feel like the only reason to keep going. If you’re a Furious superfan looking for a movie to watch, there’s an obvious answer: The movie that inspired the show, 1987’s Black Widow.
Why you should watch Black Widow after Furious
It’s no secret that Black Widow inspired Elizabeth Meriwether to create Furious, and the connection between the films is pretty clear. The 1987 film stars Debra Winger as a U.S. Justice Department data analyst, Alexandra Barnes, who notices a pattern of suspicious deaths among wealthy men. She eventually realizes that the younger women these men had recently married are all the same person in different disguises—and that this woman (played by Theresa Russell) is seducing, marrying, and murdering these men in order to inherit their wealth.
Black Widow isn’t as complex as Furious. The story is more of a conventional thriller, with Russell’s character more conventionally evil and driven by greed rather than revenge. But the bones of the story offer the same kind of thrill; Alexandra and Russell’s character bond in a weird, subliminally queer way that faintly echoes the complex relationship between Rossum’s broken rookie FBI agent and Petticrew’s broken serial killer. And Alexandra has to battle a sexist, skeptical array of powerful men in order to track a killer and prove that she’s smarter than all of them.
Watching the film, you can see the precise bits of the story that inspired Meriwether to tackle the story from a more modern, more complex perspective. And it’s good to remember how remarkable it was in 1987 to release a major film that not only featured two female lead characters, but two female lead characters who didn’t rely on men to achieve their goals—with one actively treating men as disposable steps toward their own goals (and murdering them). The inversion of traditional sex roles was kind of thrilling forty years ago and still has juice today. If you want to be a Furious completist, check it out. Stream Black Widow on Hoopla or rent it on Prime Video.
Black Widow (1987)
$3.99 at Prime Video
More movies to watch after Furious
Still feeling kind of angry? Don’t worry, there are plenty of other movies that explore the same dark impulses and justified rage against a culture of abuse against women. Here are some that will definitely give you vibes similar to Furious.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
If Catherine’s terror campaign against the men who destroyed her before she even had a chance to live resonated with you, Promising Young Woman shares that dark vibe. Carey Mulligan plays Cassie, who dropped out of medical school after the death of her best friend Nina, who was sexually assaulted and eventually committed suicide after the men responsible received no punishment. Cassie now goes to bars at night, feigning intoxication so she can lure and confront men who would take advantage of her, and later embarks on a self-destructive, rage-fueled campaign to punish the people she deems responsible for Nina’s abuse and death. It’s visceral, darkly funny, and Mulligan’s performance will remind you of Catherine in powerful ways. Stream Promising Young Woman on Peacock or rent it on Prime Video.
Promising Young Woman (2020)
$3.99 at Prime Video
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Catherine is a victim who lets her justifiable rage consume her and drive her to seek violent revenge—and if you love the thrill of seeing a woman turning the tables on the men who seek to destroy her, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is your next stop. The novel the film is based on was originally titled “Men Who Hate Women” in the original Swedish, after all, and it introduces the character of Lisbeth Salander, who is Catherine with a little more self-control and tech-savvy. Lisbeth’s story of vengeance against a man who assaults her and tries to impose his power over her is a (thrilling) sub-plot in the book and film, but the investigation into a decades-old murder leads you directly into the same dark, violent places as Furious. Stream The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Netflix or rent it on Prime Video.
What do you think so far?
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
$3.99 at Prime Video
Monster (2003)
Furious was both compelling and unsettling because of its unflinching look at cycles of violence and the impact of violence against women. Monster, based on a true story, is a similar exploration. Aileen “Lee” Wuornos (Charlize Theron) is a prostitute who is on the verge of suicide when she meets Selby Wall (Christina Ricci) and falls in love. Determined to make a life with Selby, Lee turns back to prostitution, and after a traumatic, violent encounter, begins murdering her clients and stealing their money and cars to survive. It’s a heartbreaking look at what a lifetime of abuse in a world where women are often valued solely for their bodies can do to a person, and what we do to survive. Rent Monster on Prime Video.
Monster (2003)
$2.99 at Prime Video
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
If you found Emmy Rossum’s performance as rookie FBI agent Alice Black the best part of Furious, this classic film from director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Ted Tally (based on the book by Thomas Harris) is the right choice. Jodie Foster (who won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance) plays Clarice Starling, who is plucked out of training at Quantico to interview the brilliant, insane serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, offering a performance so good he won a Best Actor Oscar with just 16 minutes of screen time) in the hopes that he’ll offer insight into Buffalo Bill, an active serial killer targeting women. It’s a taut, emotionally rich story anchored by Foster’s performance as a young woman in a male-dominated field forced to confront the violence aimed at women on a daily basis. Rent The Silence of the Lambs on Prime Video.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
$3.99 at Prime Video
Destroyer (2018)
The character Nicole Kidman plays in Destroyer, Detective Erin Bell, is a kind of amalgamation of Catherine and Alice from Furious—a bent cop who did something horrible in the past and has been punishing herself for it ever since. It’s a searing look at the impact of trauma and guilt that parallels what Catherine and Alice are going through, as Bell initially struggles to cover up her sins and then seeks a kind of absolution, leaving a trail of bodies and bad decisions in her wake. Bell isn’t strictly a victim in the story—she’s the architect of her own misery—but her suffering and rage definitely echo the characters in Furious. Stream Destroyer on Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, or Tubi.
Destroyer (2018)
