With his films “Hunger,” “Shame,” and “12 Years a Slave,”
Steve McQueen has made a name for himself directing stories which inject a
searing intensity and immediacy to what could be sedate prestige dramas. So
it’s no surprise that when he branches out to more popcorn-y entertainment with
the crime drama “Widows,” he still delivers a movie with plenty on its mind.
Focusing on
a group of widows who take up the mantle of their career criminal spouses,
“Widows” was originally filmed in the 80’s as a British TV miniseries. In
updating the setting to modern day Chicago, McQueen and writer Gillian Flynn
(“Gone Girl”) use the city’s sociopolitical climate to weave issues of race,
class, and gender into its pulpy premise, adding an extra layer to what’s
already a satisfying thriller.
Viola Davis
stars as Veronica, whose husband Harry (Liam Neeson)
and his crew are killed attempting to carry out a robbery that goes catastrophically
wrong. But it turns out that amongst the money that goes missing in the process
is two million dollars from crime boss Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), and
he’d very much like it back. He gives Veronica until the end of the month to
repay what her husband owed, or face deadly consequences at the hands of his
brother and enforcer Jatemme (a terrifying Daniel Kaluuya).
A connected
plotline involves Jamal having tossed his hat into the political ring, facing
off in an election to be alderman of the 18th ward against racist incumbent Tom
Mulligan (Robert Duvall), who’d like to see his son Jack (Colin Farrell)
succeed him in the position.
Veronica
stumbles across a solution to her troubles when she uncovers Harry’s notebooks
of plans for a multi-million robbery. With few options left, she reaches out to
the wives of the rest of Harry’s crew, hoping to convince them to help her
carry it out. After all, Jamal will soon be their problem too.
So we meet
Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), an abused wife whose
mother (Jacki Weaver) convinces her that her only hope is prostitution; dress
shop owner Linda (Michelle Rodriguez); and Amanda (Carrie Coon), who just wants
to look out for her infant child. There’s also a late addition in the form of
hairdresser Belle (Cynthia Erivo, fresh off her
excellent turn in “Bad Times at the El Royale”) who’s recruited to be the
women’s driver.
Watching
this disparate group of women come together as a team is one of the film’s
chief pleasures. Motivated by grief and anger at a broken system that, given
enough time, corrupts everything it touches, the women decide to fight back.
There’s real excitement in seeing them unite and weaponize
that system against a world that consistently underestimates them and tries to
drag them down.
Even with
the film’s massive ensemble, every member of the stellar cast get meaty roles
to latch onto. Debicki is a highlight, after
scene-stealing supporting roles in a dozen films, she gets to shine with
Alice’s arc from fragile, abused wife to confident con artist.
But it’s
Viola Davis who owns the movie. For so long content to never ask too many
questions about Harry’s work, Veronica turns desperate as her comfortable life
crumbles beneath her and her objective becomes pure survival. Davis lets us see
Veronica’s transformation, taking control of her life after years of trusting
that her husband would provide and take care of her.
Working with
his regular cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, McQueen adds unexpected and inspired
bits of visual storytelling at every opportunity. One of my favorites finds him
shooting a conversation between Farrell and his character’s assistant from
outside their car’s tinted windows as they drive from a campaign rally back to
their headquarters. The shot lets us focus on the economic disparity between
the neighborhoods of their constituents and the gated mansions of those who
claim to represent them.
Tense,
thrilling, and smartly directed, “Widows” is a heist movie that proves popcorn
entertainment doesn’t have to sacrifice a bit of intelligence or artistry,
making this gripping and immensely satisfying thriller one of the year’s best
films.
This article appears in Nov 14-20, 2018.
