(3.5 / 4)
A twisted labyrinth of a heist thriller that will hijack your notions of the genre and throttle you with surprise after surprise.
After directing 2014’s Academy Award Best Picture winner, 12 Years a Slave, acclaimed director Steve McQueen could have followed up with virtually any type of film he so desired. Despite focusing on quiet, historical dramas in the past, McQueen has taken a surprising left turn with his decision to adapt an acclaimed but somewhat obscure 1980s British TV show about a group of widows who inherit their criminal husbands’ problems. At a glance, a more adult version of Ocean’s 8 appears to be an odd choice. Perhaps this is why the director presents a short intro video before the film where he reveals that Widows has been a passion project of his for some time and he is overjoyed to finally present it to the world. Ultimately, this passion is evident in the finely crafted end product, as it becomes evident that the surprising choice of a project is the perfect precursor for a consistently unpredictable ride, as McQueen has created a heist film unlike any other.
Widows immediately grabs the audience by the throat with a provocative juxtaposition of past tender moments between Veronica (Viola Davis) and her criminal husband, Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson), intercut with a high-octane police chase. This sequence immediately clues the audience that this is a different type of heist story, one in which the relationships between the spouses are just as essential as the action scenes. It is soon revealed that the chase we are witnessing is the fallout from an ill-fated plan to rob crime boss Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) of 2 million dollars. Once the job goes sideways and Harry and his crew of thieves meet an untimely end, it isn’t long before Jamal and his brother, Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya), come face to face with grieving widow Veronica.
Jamal reveals that he requires the stolen money to fund his political career and issues Veronica a chilling ultimatum; pay him back the money or face lethal consequences. Veronica quickly decides to take matters into her own hands and organizes a meeting with the other women who were widowed from the botched robbery (Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki). After briefly commiserating about the debts they have each inherited, the three women eventually agree to rob wealthy politician Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) in order to seize their own destiny and persevere in the face of tragedy.
With a screenplay co-written by Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn, this focus on women aspiring to improve their circumstances through meticulous planning sounds right at home for many of Flynn’s past characters. Anyone familiar with Flynn’s work, however, should know that what initially seems like a basic story always turns out to be anything but that. The labyrinthine screenplay elevates a simple tale into a complex jigsaw puzzle of a film. Nothing is clearly laid out, as the audience is instead presented with dribs and drabs of backstory throughout until the curtain is finally pulled back and the true nature of the film is shockingly unveiled.
The complexity of the story is further deepened thanks to the film being steeped in not only interpersonal emotional conflicts but also larger ethical and political components. The backdrop of a tumultuous Chicago with issues such as wealth inequality, rampant crime, as well as race and gun issues quickly establishes that our characters are grappling with very relevant political issues. This setting also allows the film to examine some moral questions, chiefly whether breaking the law is warranted when those who create and uphold the laws are just as corrupt as the criminal gangs in said area. Questions such as this prevent the story from presenting any easy answers and makes the character journeys all the more riveting and timely.
Widows also cleverly subverts expectations by presenting a heist film that is far more character focused than one would expect of the action-oriented genre. We are not presented with genius level thieves, but rather realistic, sympathetic characterizations of women with their backs against the wall, choosing to fight back rather than roll over. While preparing for the heist, the women make their fair share of blunders which prevents the story from being contrived or inauthentic.
The well-rounded characters are greatly aided by the phenomenal work from the entire cast, most notably Viola Davis. Much like McQueen, the role is unexpected for Davis, seeing as how the bulk of her previous work is constituted by dramas. Headlining a heist thriller is well outside of her wheelhouse, however, she more than meets the challenge as she effortlessly handles the dramatic scenes and is sternly commanding as the ringleader of the planned theft.
Ultimately Widows can be summed up as a welcome surprise from every angle of its production. Much like the film itself, McQueen clearly knew what he was doing as he has assembled a more than capable crew for the job, most notably with Flynn’s twisty screenplay and the fantastic all-star ensemble led by Davis. Widows successfully pulls off its plan as it manages to hijack your expectations of what a heist thriller can be, presenting a memorably layered and tense experience.
