Out on DVD and Bluray now is Widows. I don't know how this one slipped past my radar. How did I not hear about this film until it came out on DVD? Directed by Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave) with a star-studded cast (Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Colin Farell, Daniel Kaluuya, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson, and Jon Bernthal), Widows is an incredibly engaging heist film.
The very first thing that I imagine most people will think of when they think of a heist film centred around a female cast would be Oceans 8, and yet Widows is so much better. Simply looking at the target of the heist itself, we don't have women trying to steal jewellery. It's a simple money job. Something that a group of men could have done, or a mixed group. My point is that where Ocean's 8 felt the need to make the female-led heist more feminine by making them target the Met Gala so they can steal jewellery and wear pretty dresses (wow! how progressive!), Widows has a group of women that are trying to pull off a normal heist. Gender has no effect here (though admittedly, physical limitations are still taken into account in the planning) and the film thrives because of it.
After a botched robbery, the wives of a team of thieves are forced to do their own heist in order to pay back the lost money when the criminals that were stolen from, track them down. This plot alone is exciting as it brings in so many factors. We have women that are absolute beginners at pulling off heists as they have never done it before, they have never even met each other before. A complete group of strangers, with no applicable skills, trying to pull off a heist in a limited timeframe. It's enthralling and builds a lot of tension throughout each scene.
Each character is fascinating as it goes against the stereotypes we are used to seeing from the actresses. Viola Davis, who is usually confident and sassy, is now an emotional mess and completely unsure of herself. Michelle Rodriguez, who is usually the tomboy that kicks ass, is instead a mother and clothing store owner. Elizabeth Debicki, who usually has little in the way of good dialogue and is only there to look pretty, well she has an amazing performance as an emotionally and physically abused woman coming into her own.
What adds to the suspense and tension of the film is that the antagonists are not passive. They don't just set the goal for the protagonists but are also actively sabotaging and getting in the way throughout the film. Where Widows differs from the entire Oceans franchise, is its focus not on the heist itself, but on developing the characters, and you get so much more engagement because of that.
The film has a rather slow pace, but it naturally accelerates and almost rushes through the climax of the film as more and more external forces start getting introduced, Emphasising the amateur nature of the characters. This is no thriller, more drama with some action mixed in, but it works so well.
There are some downsides though. While the development of the protagonists was great, there is also significant development of the antagonists, and a lot of it felt really unnecessary. It helped with the pacing, but it also created a rather convoluted plot that had many different pieces embroiled in their own arcs. It tried to be smart, but it lacked the payoff to many of these side arcs. Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall's characters could have been removed from the film completely with little to no effect on the plot. Same could be said about the eventual twist.
Stylistically, the film is great to watch, with a lot of contrast. Contrasting black and white, long shots from penthouses to ghettos, and it all starts with opening scenes that contrast love and death in a way that really catches you off-guard.
I honestly have no idea how this one snuck by me. An engaging, star-studded cast. Very competent cinematography, and a plot that lets women kick ass in a male-dominated world. Love it!