Steve McQueen has got to be one of the most efficient and steady directors of our time. He made only four feature films since 2008 and they have all been so, so good by both being critically acclaimed and garnering so many awards with each new entry into his filmography. The story of Widows is certainly a slight contrast in setting to his previous films like 12 Years a Slave (2013) or Shame (2011), yet there is definitely tone and psyche that makes you recognise that this is a film from the director that have told stories of American slavery and sexual addiction.
The beginning of Widows makes it clear it’s not planning to hold anything back. A hard and heavy prologue of love and loss ensues showcasing the ties of four husbands to their respective partners that will become the ensemble female cast. All these different establishing arcs are then cut constantly back and forth between a perilous heist done by this team of four doomed husbands as they conduct a perilous heist. Eventually, they all fail miserably and get brutally killed by police leading to the present day. What comes next is basically the widows of these four husbands picking up the pieces of their deceased loved ones to conduct one last heist to settle all the shadows of their dearly departed.
Widows is a long film. 129 minutes of running time surrounds an ambitious plot trying to juggle the perils of four different ladies going through their own lives on top of a couple side plots of very nasty and racist politics. You have the team of grieving widows played by Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Carrie Coon. An incredible arsenal of brilliant actresses. Then you have the side plot of Collin Farrell playing a politician trying to win his election navigating through the shadows of his established father as well as the local suburban underworld. Then you have his political opponent played by Brian Tyree Henry trying to give the black community more voices in government whilst his brother is a mob enforcer that is not afraid to maim and kill for people on his naughty list.
If that doesn’t sound like a lot to pack in a single feature film. I don’t know what would. But somehow, this does fit. Things in pacing may not always be on point but you get so engaged by the terrific performance and thunderous dialogue written by McQueen and the author of Gone Home: Gillian Flynn. This movie deserves a second viewing. There is a lot to be had here. Everyone’s performances were outstanding. Viola Davis and Colin Farrel stand out but everyone else were so on the money with what their character was going for.
There is also such style in the cinematography where you are placed in monotonous shots while off-screen dialogue or action happens for a significant period of time that has a sublime quality of resonance for the viewer. It sometimes does get a bit stylistic for its own good but as far as cinema is concerned, this can be enjoyable and thought-provoking nonetheless.
Hans Zimmer makes for his only film score here for the year of 2018. It gets the vibes but honestly sounds very much like him without as much novelty and significance as his work did in Interstellar or Inception. However, with the safety that he decided to settle for in this project, there were still marvellous gems of electroacoustic intensity that helped build the chaos of this town that is filled with horrific dealings and flawed individuals.
Widows is a tough film to review because if you break it all down with a film school textbook, there are certainly bits here and there that would warrant criticism. However, it is remarkable how inconsequential these bits can be in comparison to the whole picture where a bold screenplay matches to epic cinematic vision for something that will leave you thinking a bit in awe after you leave the cinema. It’s a great balance of tonality from dark drama to bits of popcorn comedy. If you’re of mature audience, there’s got to be something you’ll appreciate here.
