Widows (2018, dir. Steve McQueen, 2 hr 10 min)

The Summary: The widows of a group of career criminals are left with their husbands’ debts after a heist goes horribly wrong, and they must desperately attempt a job of their own to make good.

The Good: Excellent performances from absolutely everyone in the (quite large) cast. Incredibly skillful directing and editing from a technical standpoint. Interesting political observations. Fascinating exploration of grief and coping.

The Bad: Some pacing issues, especially in the middle. A few questionable writing decisions, giving characters action that confuses or bringing up ideas that feel incomplete.

The Review: Widows is the latest effort from rising star Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave), and can probably be called his happiest movie yet, despite the fact that the inciting incident is violent death and it deals significantly with devastating levels of grief. That should probably tell you (in part) if it’s the kind of movie for you. It is beautiful and epic and incredibly well made, but it’s not a cheery film. The movie centers around Veronica (Viola Davis), who is left reeling from the surprising death of her husband on his latest job with the gang of burglars he leads. Unfortunately, the victim of her husband’s burglary is not to be trifled with, and wants the money back, which puts Veronica in a terrible situation. In desperation, she reaches out to the other widows of the gang and attempts to pull off the last crime her husband had planned before his death in order to make good on the debt.

The human drama is excellent throughout, and it makes it clear very quickly that most of these other women have been badly damaged by their husbands or the world in one way or another. The majority of men in this movie are portrayed as monsters at worst and jerks at best. Liam Neeson, as Veronica’s husband, is the only one who seems to truly love his wife in any discernible way. Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) is caught in a cycle of physical abuse, and Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) is about to lose everything because of her husband’s spending habits. Both of them turn in powerhouse performances. Each of the women in the movie have a struggle imposed upon them by outside forces, usually in the form of men objectifying, commodifying, or neglecting them. This gives the characters an excellent sense of drive, and created a strong sense of investment in their stories. They are characters that you want to root for, broken or hurt in so many ways but still capable of surviving and perhaps even thriving.

The movie is also surprisingly political, with both crimes portrayed in the film pulling the characters into the tangled web of local politics. The depiction here is surprisingly nuanced. Almost everyone playing at politics in the film is portrayed negatively, but never one-dimensionally. The villains feel like they have actual depth and complexity that is often ignored in films like these. You never root for them, but you feel like you understand them, and the drama that they add to the film makes it so much more engaging than if they had been mustache-twirling caricatures of political avarice. Jamal (Brian Tyree Henry) is a particular standout as a compromised man with no faith in the system but with the desire to turn it to his own ends, accompanied by his brother and right-hand man Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya), who gives one of the most chilling portrayals of villainy this year.

The movie does feel a bit more wobbly than some of McQueen’s earlier work, as if there are just a few too many plates spinning at times. A few subplots are brought up and are either resolved too quickly or just seem to fade away, and a few of the edits leave the viewer in a scene longer than necessary after things have been established (some scenes recreating the opening crime feel particularly unnecessary). McQueen’s earlier, smaller films always seemed almost gem-like in their craft, and this one doesn’t feel quite as flawless as those. It’s very comparable to 12 Years a Slave, which was another film anchored by amazing performances and well-directed, but with just the smallest noticeable bloat or awkwardness to them.

This movie is still absolutely worth the time, however. There’s not even enough time to get into some of the smaller performances by Robert Duvall or the always excellent (no matter how small his part) Jon Bernthal. The cinematography (by longtime McQueen collaborator Sean Bobbitt) is excellent throughout, and adds so much to the nuance of how the characters are presented. The final heist is breathtakingly tense and legitimately surprising. The sense of fulfillment and catharsis when the curtain goes down is wonderfully fulfilling. Even if there are some very slight missteps, the whole film hangs together well, and comes as a highly recommended moviegoing experience in the crowded holiday season.

The Score: 

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