Widows (2018 film)

Widows is a 2018 heist thriller film directed by Oscar-nominated director Steve McQueen from a screenplay by McQueen and Gillian Flynn, based upon the 1983 ITV series of the same name. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson, and follows a group of women who attempt a heist after their criminal husbands are killed on a botched job.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 16, 2018, by 20th Century Fox.

Premise
Four armed robbers are killed in a failed heist attempt, only to have their widows step up to finish the job.

Cast

 * Viola Davis as Veronica Rawlins
 * Michelle Rodriguez as Linda Perelli
 * Elizabeth Debicki as Alice Gunner
 * Cynthia Erivo as Belle
 * Colin Farrell as Jack Mulligan, Tom's son and a politician that finds himself mixed up in the widows' plans.
 * Brian Tyree Henry as Jamal Manning, a crime boss whom the Widows are indebted to.
 * Daniel Kaluuya as Jatemme Manning, Jamal’s brother and enforcer.
 * Jacki Weaver as Agnieska, Alice's mother.
 * Carrie Coon as Amanda
 * Robert Duvall as Tom Mulligan, Jack's father and a power broker at odds with his son.
 * Liam Neeson as Harry Rawlins, Veronica's husband.
 * Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Carlos Perelli, Linda's husband.
 * Jon Bernthal as Florek Gunner, Alice's husband.
 * Garret Dillahunt as Bash O'Reilly, the Rawlins family driver
 * Michael Harney as Sgt. Fuller, a corrupt cop involved in a conspiracy.
 * Lukas Haas as David
 * Matt Walsh as Ken
 * Adepero Oduye as Breechelle
 * Ann Mitchell as Amanda's mother

Production
On March 27, 2015, the project was announced to be in development with a script written by Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen, with McQueen attached to direct. Originally Jennifer Lawrence was approached for a role, but due to scheduling conflicts she had to decline. On September 27, 2016, Viola Davis joined the cast. On November 10, 2016, Cynthia Erivo joined the cast. As of January 13, 2017, André Holland was in negotiations to join the cast. In February 2017, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, and Daniel Kaluuya joined the cast. In March 2017, Liam Neeson joined the cast of the film. In April 2017, Colin Farrell joined the cast of the film. That same month, Robert Duvall joined the cast of the film. In May 2017, Garret Dillahunt, Jacki Weaver, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Lukas Haas joined the cast of the film. In June 2017, Carrie Coon was cast in the film. In August 2017, Michael Harney and Jon Bernthal joined the cast of the film.

Principal photography began on May 8, 2017.

Release
The film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018. It will also screen at the BFI London Film Festival on October 10, 2018 and at the 29th New Orleans Film Festival as the Centerpiece Film on October 20, 2018. It is scheduled to be released on November 16, 2018.

Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Widows rounds up a stellar ensemble for a heist thriller that mixes popcorn entertainment with a message – and marks another artistic leap for director Steve McQueen." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised McQueen's direction and Davis' performance, "The strongest aspect of Widows is the way the movie gets us — and keeps us — rooting for its desperate-living heroines. They're past the point of just wanting to have fun (the subtext of almost every heist movie); they're less concerned with comeuppance than sheer survival." Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a "A-", saying: "Ultimately, Widows works as well as it does due to the way McQueen juggles substance with entertainment value to such eager subversive ends. The movie engages with topics as complex as sexism, police brutality, and interracial marriage, but it still delivers on the car chases and gunplay. No superhero movie digs this deep."