Widows is the fourth film directed by Steve McQueen, but the first not to star the talent of Michael Fassbender. But not to worry. There are enough big names in the ensemble cast of Widows to fill a small theater of people. Robert DuVall, Liam Neeson, Daniel Kaluuya, Colin Farrell–the list goes on and on. In fact, the words “ensemble cast” only scratch the surface. Every scene of this movie is packed with big acting talent.
And McQueen directs them all with mastery, demanding only the most honest performances from his cast. Viola Davis leads the cast as Veronica, wife of Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson), a professional criminal. After Harry and his crew are gunned down by police, Veronica is left with only her small white dog to keep her company. Brian Tyree Henry (famous for his role as Paper Boi in the TV series Atlanta) plays Jamal Manning, one of the antagonizing forces of the film. A criminal-turned-politician, Manning finds out that Veronica’s late husband stole $2 million from him. He gives Veronica and ultimatum: one month to pay him back the money her husband stole. So Veronica rallies the wives of Harry’s deceased crew together for a heist that would more than cover their debts.
The famous heist films of recent history such as the Ocean’s Eleven franchise or Guy Ritchie’s heist films of the late 90’s were buoyed by humor and a flashy color palette. They were fast-paced and light-hearted. Widows takes a very different approach. It broods over its subject material. As the title of the film might suggest, this isn’t a very happy story. Instead of constant quipping, the characters of this story are grappling with violence and the grief of lost loved ones. Widows is intense. It deals with themes of race, gender, political corruption, and domestic violence. It’s heavy, but it is far more engaging than this year’s Ocean’s 8 which also utilized the heist format toward female empowerment, but did so in a very different way.
Heist films dating as far back as The Sting usually attempt to end with a surprising plot twist. Without giving anything away, I have to say that Widows does not disappoint here either. Pulling off a twist ending without the audience feeling like they’ve been pandered to or cheated can be tricky, and not everyone can pull it off. Screenwriters Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn (the novelist/screenwriter who wrote the novel Gone Girl along with its film adaptation) have done an excellent job. Flynn has a talent for trusting her audience. She gives the viewer all the information and lets them deduce the rest. There is no parlor scene in which a character explains in noisome detail how they pulled off the job. Widows effectively shows us the heist instead of telling it to us.
Beautifully written, photographed, directed, and edited, Widows is a strong competitor for a number of categories in the upcoming Awards season.
