Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A police shootout leaves four thieves dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Their widows have nothing in common except a debt left behind by their spouses' criminal activities. Hoping to forge a future on their own terms, they join forces to pull off a heist.
Steve McQueen's Widows is elevated well above its heist-thriller premise by exceptional performances—Viola Davis anchors a strong ensemble—and by McQueen and Gillian Flynn's sharp, layered screenplay that weaves in Chicago politics and race. Roger Deakins-style visual precision from Sean Bobbitt gives the film a striking, neo-noir look, including that memorable long-take drive sequence. However, the plot, while competent and socially ambitious, occasionally overreaches with its subplots, and the ending, while satisfying in places, feels slightly deflated compared to the tension built throughout. Novelty is solid but not exceptional given the remake origins and familiar heist structure.