Movie review: A commanding turn from Viola Davis in 'Widows'
“Widows” - ★ ★ ★
When you think of the wives and girlfriends of criminals in pop culture, they are either victims of a man's misdeeds or end up becoming part of the problem. They might get fancy jewelry or a big house, but they are the ones who get shut out of the room. They get greedy. They get addicted. They get killed. And they are secondary.
It's part of the reason why Steve McQueen's “Widows” is such a welcome cocktail: The wives are the ones in the spotlight. Their husbands, the criminals, are the ones who die at the beginning.
In his first film since the Oscar-winning “12 Years a Slave,” McQueen has gone in a very different direction with this Lynda La Plante adaptation. “Widows” is a B-movie thriller with an all-star ensemble and a dusting of art house cred. McQueen co-wrote it with “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn and it is dark, relentlessly intense and crafted for mass audience appeal. And who better to stare down the camera, and every seedy character the city of Chicago has to offer, from corrupt legacy politicians (Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall) to truly terrifying gang muscle (Daniel Kaluuya), than the incomparable Viola Davis?
Davis plays Veronica Rawlins, a well-heeled teacher's union representative who is married to a very powerful and very bad man, Harry Rawlins (Liam Neeson). Harry has done well in a corrupt Chicago — the passionate couple share a sleek high-rise Lake Shore Drive apartment. But when he and his crew get gunned down during a robbery gone wrong, his rivals come after Veronica.
Unfortunately for her, her late husband was stealing $2 million from a powerful, murderous and, now, angry, set of criminals. They're led by Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) and his brother Jatemme (Kaluuya). Jamal is running for alderman of his South Side neighborhood that is a stronghold of a Chicago political dynasty, the Mulligans (Duvall and Farrell) that maintains property there only as a front — and the Mannings need the money to take them down.
Jamal threatens Veronica to collect what was stolen and she decides to step into Harry's shoes and enlist the widows of his crew to help. There's Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), a mother of two whose shop has been repossessed because of her late husband's gambling, and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), a woman who has been mistreated by everyone in her life. All are basically riffs on the typical film “victim wife,” only here they take charge and plan the elaborate heist. Veronica is a tough boss and pushes Alice and Linda, and eventually Belle (Cynthia Erivo), to realize their own power.
The ensemble is a blast. Everyone gets their moment, but it is Davis and her unforgettably searing intensity (and killer wardrobe) who owns “Widows” from start to finish.
McQueen builds tension masterfully, although is so sprawling that at times you're left wondering whether this might have been better told as a limited television series. Then again, is it worth complaining about relative brevity when done this well?
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Starring: Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Kaluuya
Directed by: Steve McQueen
Other: A 20th Century Fox release. Rated R for violence, language, sexual situations and nudity. 129 minutes