Widows: Movie Review

Director Steve McQueen follows up his acclaimed 2013 film, “12 Years a Slave”, with the crime-drama, “Widows” (based upon the 1983 British miniseries of the same name). McQueen has brought along an impressive cast with him too, which includes, Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson. I am a fan of not only that cast but I am a sucker for a good heist film as well. Thankfully, Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) delivered a screenplay that measures up to the talent involved.

Set in Chicago, four women suddenly become widowed when their husbands are all killed in a robbery-gone-bad.  To make matters even more dire, each of the women were left financial turmoil and the criminal their husbands robbed wants his money back. Veronica (Davis) reaches out to fellow widows, Linda (Rodriguez), Alice (Debicki) and Amanda (Coon) and recruits them to do a job that her late husband Harry (Neeson) had planned out in his notebook. Linda and Alice agree, but Amanda doesn’t. Needing one more person to make the job work, Linda brings in her children’s babysitter Belle (Cynthia Erivo).

Meanwhile, the crime boss Jamal Manning (Henry) that the women must pay back just so happens to be running for alderman against Jack Mulligan (Farrell) because he wants to get out of the crime life. There is quite a bit going on in “Widows” but McQueen is able to balance out the characters quite well. Everything is connected however, it doesn’t move along briskly enough for my taste. For me the dramatic elements work better than the thriller ones. This is because the cast is so good, especially Rodriquez who deserves to be in something a bit more serious and grounded and not just in another “Fast and Furious” sequel.  People seem to forget that she got her start nearly twenty years ago in the gritty drama, “Girlfight”. I hope to see her in more dramatic roles.

Aside from the pacing issues, I wasn’t a fan of the direction the story takes in the final act, but that isn’t enough of an issue to prevent me from recommending “Widows”. If you are looking for something dark, violent, and enjoy the cast, you should give this one a look.

By: Marc Ferman