Four armed robbers are killed in a failed heist attempt, only to have
their widows step up to finish the job.
Directed by: Steve McQueen
Starring: Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Michelle Rodriguez,
Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel
Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall
Widows, directed by Steve McQueen, is a sublime work of art and
spectacular piece of entertainment, powered by the director’s assured skill
and collaboration with some of the industry’s supreme talents.
Using Lynda La Plante’s 1983 ITV series of the same name as the
base, McQueen and co-writer Gillian Flynn (the scribe of
Gone Girl
and Sharp Objects) take the story of four widows setting out to complete the heist that
their husbands died attempting, and move it from London to Chicago. The new
setting opens up the opportunity to underpin the story with heavy political
and social resonances to present-day America and the writers waste no
opportunity to do so in their excellent storytelling.
If you loved The Wire then you will love Widows. This isn't just a straightforward crime flick. Sure, there’s a robbery at
the centre of it, but the motivations and potential ramifications are deeply
embedded in the characters from before the widows even have their first
meeting. A startlingly intense opening intercuts between the wives and
husbands enjoying life at home, and the husbands attempting their heist and
subsequently meeting their ends. Out of all of the couples, the no-nonsense
Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis) seems to be the one most in the know,
for after all, it was her husband Harry (Liam Neeson) who
masterminded the plot. Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) is too occupied
with her children and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) is slightly clueless.
But when Veronica gathers them together, her blunt intentions convince the
others to join in and collect the millions of dollars they need to get out
of this mess.
The mess involves the two men running for the ward’s local alderman
election, Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell), son of a previous alderman
Tom Mulligan (Robert Duvall), and Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), who’s gunning to be the first African-American alderman of the ward. The
links between both men and the Rawlings run deep. The narrative connects the
dots between criminals and politicians and how the cycle of crime begins and
continues, and who can be held responsible for perpetuating this cycle, much
like how the acclaimed HBO series depicted crime in Baltimore. There’s
little subtlety in the overarching theme of dirty politics but the
filmmakers excel in the subdued ways they capture other socially relevant
strands including prostitution and race relations. It’s less successful when
we hear some very basic commentary on the country at large that isn’t
particularly fresh or insightful, such as when Alice asks where she can get
a gun and Veronica retorts that they’re in America.
However, what is fresh is the construction of this genre movie. As a heist
thriller, Widows surely has the most cuts of any of his movies
but, again, McQueen and his terrific cinematographer
Sean Bobbitt prove capable of capturing compelling images by shooting
from unique angles and actually holding a shot for more than a few seconds -
a rare feat in similar contemporary films. One of the best examples is when
the camera is placed on the hood of a car, facing the windshield at a slight
angle, wherein Jack and his assistant have a searing racially-charged
conversation while we pass through the ward and see how it’s been
socio-economically affected.
Furthermore, regarding the director spinning our expectations of genre, he
discloses information at his own unpredictable pace, which is perfect in
allowing the twists to hit harder and make us re-evaluate our narrative
expectations going forward. There are a fair few moments where things are
spelt out for the audience, but maybe these can be forgiven for McQueen’s
efforts in creating his most mainstream and accessible movie yet.
Everyone wants to work with Steve McQueen and Steve McQueen wants to work
with everyone. Like with
12 Years a Slave, he employs a terrific cast from top to bottom. Listing all the stars
would take a little long, and so would shortlisting the ones who deliver
great performances. But, for what it's worth, the absolute standouts have to
be: Viola Davis (obviously), Elizabeth Debicki, Brian Tyree Henry (a far cry
from Atlanta’s Paper Boi as the most credible threat to the ruling Mulligan family) and
Daniel Kaluuya as Jatemme Manning, Jamaal’s terrifying and extremely
violent brother, reminiscent of the remorseless Chris and Marlo from
The Wire. An honourable mention goes to Cynthia Erivo, who doesn’t appear
until later but steals her scenes as the best possible accomplice to
Veronica’s team. Debicki is truly excellent in her depiction of a woman deeply conflicted
with her relationship to her close ones and with herself. One who lets
others have too much influence on her decisions but is ultimately willing to
stand up for herself.
Returning among the auteur’s regular collaborators is Hans Zimmer,
enlisted to provide a pulse-pounding score that propels the intensity to
cosmic levels, especially in the utterly breathtaking climax. Of course,
McQueen extends his hot streak but he couldn’t have done it without those
working with him, especially Flynn with her screenplay contributions and the
top-tier cast all on top of their game. Widows is a career
highlight for everyone involved.
Widows is on Netflix UK/ROI now.
