Widows

Score:  A-

Directed by Steve McQueen
Starring Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Rodriguez, Liam Neeson, et. al.
Running time:
Rated R

Long Story Short:  Widows, a heist film, is an abrupt change of pace for the Oscar-winning Steve McQueen, but it delivers as a well-made, entertaining as well as thoughtful film.  The main cast is all-female, like Ocean's Eight, but the similarities end there, as the film delves more deeply and seriously into the characters' lives and related political machinations.  Highly recommended.


A group of robbers, led by Harry Rawlings (Neeson), is killed by police when a job goes south.  Harry's wife, Veronica (Davis), and the other widows soon learn about their spouse's secret lives, as one of their targets, a local Chicago political candidate named Manning (Henry) demands restitution.  Manning is running against a green Jack Mulligan (Farrell), who was a friend of Harry's and is next in his family's dynastic line.  Veronica also discovers her late husband's secret notebook of plans, which lays out his would-be next heist - on an all-too-familiar target.  As Manning's brother Jamal (Kaluuya) menaces her with a deadline, Veronica desperately prepares for a literal do-or-die job with her new friends.

Widows has an enormous cast of talented actors, capably led by the titular foursome.  Viola Davis plays the leader of this group, and none could have done it better.  Initially, grieving the loss of her husband and put upon by Manning, her performance resembles her Oscar-winning role in Fences.  She portrays a remarkable combination of strength and vulnerability in quiet moments as she ponders her past life, wiping away tears one moment yet composing herself and striding forth with steely determination the next.  Through her subtle acting, you truly get to know this woman in transition, from dignified yet naive wife of a powerful (yet criminal) man, to a strong, independent woman figuring things out on the fly.  She doesn't instantly transform into a master, and she retains an edge of tension till the end, but also shows her considerable leadership and courage.  Elizabeth Debicki gets the next biggest role, a formerly abused trophy wife, underestimated yet quite intelligent and capable.  The transformation here is a bit more abrupt, but Debicki's performance is great, sharp-edged at times and subtly observed at others.  Cynthia Erivo, joining the group later on, provides some highlights of physicality, though Michelle Rodriguez is given a bit of short shrift (granted, she's probably the least talented of the ensemble).  Colin Farrell does well as a politician who looks the part, but is insecure and overwhelmed by expectations, countered nicely by the smooth and savvy but frustrated Manning played by Brian Tyree Henry.  Neeson is a suitable presence in his flashback scenes, but the standouts in supporting roles are Robert Duvall as Mulligan's father, a declining yet powerful son of a bitch and Daniel Kaluuya as a cruel and unhinged, behind-the-scenes enforcer for Manning.

Widows is really good, an engaging thriller and heist film yet also one with intriguing character work and broader social observations.  Although the film begins with a brief but harrowing scene of Neeson and co. literally going up in flames, most of the tension and excitement in the film is not from the main heist and its preparation, but from the development of the characters and the intriguing web they form.  We get a glimpse of the lives of the widows, pre-doomsday, revealing hurt and neglect.  Even Veronica, treated better than her peers, realizes her husband has left her in an impossible situation.  You see the difficulty in their overcoming the shock, fear, and then mutual suspicion of one another, and then start to come into their own in this bizarre, desperate situation.  The tone is certainly serious, sometimes even dark (typically when the bad guys flex their muscles) but the women's efforts, struggling yet steadily succeeding, keep the film's realism while providing a glimpse of good in the world (at times even optimism).  When it's finally go-time for the heist, you fully believe in the abilities of these four women, but also realize it's not going to be a walk in the park.

While the women deservedly take center stage in adjusting to their new lives and working together to prepare the heist, an intriguing - and narratively adjacent - political battle takes place.  We get to see how this part of Chicago could lead to such criminality in the first place, with ruthless leaders lording over desperate poverty.  Farrell's Mulligan is caught between a young man's idealistic vision and his family's darker, dirtier political reality.  A genius, single camera shot from the hood of his car shows his path from a campaign stop at a broken down neighborhood to arrive just minutes later at his well-tended, fortress-like mansion.  Manning, the challenger, has noble intentions, too, but is already mired in tar, too, from shocking displays from his cousin to a humorous yet depressingly cynical negotiation with a local pastor.  The heist is almost an escape from this all too-realistic, everyday war, and does not take its time in showy, extravagant sets.  Rather, it bursts from the darkness, moving with deliberate speed and quickly on to an inevitable yet well-deserved conclusion.

***

Widows is a great film, one of those that so well straddles the line between artistic, Oscar-awards style and good Hollywood entertainment.  Comparisons with Ocean's Eight, the other heist movie this year featuring a female ensemble, are natural, but fortunately they are so different that each stands by itself.  Ocean's Eight is more typical Hollywood, quite a bit funnier and showier, while Widows is more serious, focused on the characters and background rather than the action of the heist. They do both move along with a good pace, while still allowing the actors plenty of time to shine outside the action.  Hopefully more films like Widows are coming, both entertaining and well-made artistic pieces, as the season of Oscar-hyped movies arrives.  As you begin the holidays, try to get out to see this movie - and if you can't, at least check it out on Netflix.




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