Widows

It's been quite some time since Steve McQueen's highly praised and Oscar winning 12 Years a Slave hit theaters. 

Over 5 years to be more exact.

When I first heard he was following that film up with a heist film, it was honestly a bit surprising, but equally as intriguing. One would have thought that with all that time off he was working on another historical, important piece of film as opposed to something with a little more..."popcorn", shall we say. 

But hey, I'm not complaining. Especially with a cast like this one.

Widows is that film, one where the wives of deceased professional thieves must complete the score in order to protect their own lives. It's an interesting take on the genre because normally a heist film with newcomers would be considered a comedy. Widows immediately establishes itself as a drama with very little comedy so the weight of their situation is understandable.

Given that I'm catching Widows later in the weekend, I've caught wind of both sides' perception of the film. It seems that some (maybe the louder audience members) aren't enjoying its slow burn elements while critics adore it as one of the year's bests. I'm somewhere in the middle, considerably more toward the enjoyment side and my theater -- surprisingly full for 11am on a Sunday -- seemed to really like the film too, with audibles gasps and "Awww, hell no!" abound.

Widows is indeed a bit of a slow burn, but I never felt like it was going all that long. There are a few scenes in the middle that drag or could have been cut, but I think we would have only saved 10 minutes total perhaps. Had you asked me what I thought about that about 30-40 minutes in I could have easily pointed out some subplots that weren't going anywhere, but everything does eventually come together to actually mean something before the end. It hooks you right away with an intense and fairly violent opening sequence. Those looking for an action film won't find it here, and that could be why some audiences are disappointed; this is a much more traditional drama/heist film with very little overall action. That said, when there is action or added intensity, McQueen's direction is as good as ever. I may not herald his previous work to the heights that many did several years ago (it's still a seriously good film), but there's no denying he's a talented director. 

"So we like the lady Avengers?"

From a plot perspective, Widows is both original and a bit cliched. I don't foresee the ending taking anyone totally by surprise, but there are some twists along the way that throw snags into place and ratchet up the stakes. One of the key reasons it keeps you intrigued is because it peels itself apart in layers while still being chronological. We learn more about these characters as we move forward, specifically Davis' Veronica, and it benefits the film. Not everyone gets equal treatment however, common for a cast this stacked, and I was ultimately less than pleased with a few of the resolutions for characters. Daniel Kaluuya - who gives easily the most haunting performance as a ruthless villain - is one such character where I felt like the build up didn't equal the pay off or we're left without so much as a goodbye from others. 

Olivia the Westie is the real MVP!!

In addition to the direction and the narrative (which Gillian Flynn helped write BTW), the performances are really where Widows elevates itself above the genre. The entire cast does splendid with some standouts being Robert Duvall as a grumpy grandpa, Colin Farrell as a frustrated politician, and Liam Neeson as shadows of the dead husband. Our core cast is worth hanging a hat onto with Viola Davis channeling the best (read: only) parts of Suicide Squad and newcomer Cynthia Erivo (who we previously saw do well here) being my favorites. Like I mentioned, Daniel Kaluuya is very dark here, and probably the best performance overall, but he's in the film considerably less than our "Core 4". Truthfully though, the entire film belongs to Detective Olivia the Westie who A) finds several clues on her own and B) is always smiling despite the heavy stuff. So if nothing else, know that you get a cute dog to enjoy in many scenes (seriously, she's in like half the film). 

I enjoyed Widows a lot even if it is a one-and-done film. There's very little to actually fault it on given that its direction, writing, and technical skill are all excellent -- not to mention the awesome cast. Expectations should be set though that this isn't an action film (to be fair, I'm not sure where that was explicitly sold in the trailers) and is more of a drama. Will it have an impact like 12 Years a Slave did? No. Did it ever need to? Not in the slightest.

CONS

• Not all characters get their due and some have unsatisfying conclusions 
• Overall plot, while interesting, ends about the way you'd expect. Has some cliches along the way
• Probably could have used a 5-10 minute trimming

PROS

• Not surprising, but fantastically directed. Some really cool shots scattered throughout
• Intriguing story that unravels as we learn more. Some well earned twists
• Daniel Kaluuya as a very intense villain
• Good performances across the board. Our Core 4 is a worthy group of women to follow a whole film with
• The intense, violent, and/or action scenes are exciting and captured well
• Detective Olivia the Westie is the GOAT!
• Well paced, well plotted heist thriller that's made damn well. What's not to enjoy?

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10