WARNING: Heavy Spoilers
Steven McQueen, director of 12 Years a Slave, returns here for Widows, a heist/thriller that follows the three wives of now dead criminals who attempt to perform the next job on their husbands' list. When I saw the trailer for this movie it looked good but nothing really jumped out at me aside from the cast. To be honest, I was worried it would be a forced "women can do that to" movie, but it wasn't. The star-studded cast led by Viola Davis and Liam Neeson was excellent as the performances are the backbone of the film. The two stand-outs for me, however, are Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and Robert Duvall (basically everything). Kaluuya plays a brutal hitman-type who doesn't hold back while Duvall plays the father of politician Jack Mulligan played by Colin Farrell. Duvall only has a few scenes in the film but he's fucking money in every second, nailing the grizzled, old politician persona. As for the rest of the cast, everyone delivered from Davis and Neeson to Rodriquez and Debicki. Also, Jon Bernthal is in the movie, officially solidifying himself as the guy in every good movie that dies 10 minutes in.
As for the plot, this is a pretty smart movie that could have been really bad if mishandled. McQueen does a fantastic job of intertwining several plot lines without making the audience confused or overwhelmed. With so many characters I was really surprised how well developed everyone felt; I could tell you something about the backstory of almost every character. My one complaint is I would've liked to have seen more of Colin Farrell's character, especially his relationship with his dad which is pure gold throughout. Their were some great twists and turns, one of which I wasn't expecting at all and another that kind of aggravated me. Even though I said heavy spoilers, I'm not going to spoil the big twist as I don't see a reason too but I do want to talk about one.
So, about halfway through the movie its revealed that Viola Davis' character and Liam Neeson had a kid who died. Now, I personally don't think this plot point was necessary as both characters' relationship was already well-established, but I quickly found out why it was forced in. Shortly later in the film it is revealed that they had a teenage son who was shot and killed by two white police officers after being a complete idiot and not stepping out of the vehicle after being asked multiple times. Listen I really enjoyed this movie and I'm not going to hold this against it, but seriously? Why is this necessary? Is the death of Liam Neeson's fictional bi-racial son really going to affect what's been happening in recent years? We know there has been issues with black men being killed by police officers. It's on the news! So, is there really a reason to shove this in the face of an audience? I'm aware that killing unarmed people in general is bad (even though some situations might have called for it), but this won't do anything. What did you expect a "racist" cop to see this in the movie and when this happens to him next he says, "Oh, remember that scene in Widows?" In all honesty, a racist person probably has no desire to see a black female led film, so why show it to people who acknowledge and are aware of the issue? That's my little side rant. Back to business.
Overall, Widows is a really good movie. Its a fresh take on a heist film and does a great job of developing characters and making you feel for them. The women-led concept doesn't feel forced or agenda-driven and all the performances are strong. With all that said, its twists and turns, complex plot, and memorable characters makes for a nice trip to the theater.
My Score: B