Viola Davis Rallies The Troops In New ‘Widows’ Clip Before The Steve McQueen Film Debuts At TIFF

As the Toronto International Film Festival begins to click into gear, we’ve got a new look at Steve McQueen‘s highly-anticipated heist thriller “Widows,” where Oscar-winner Viola Davis gets her fellow future thieves in gear for their upcoming robbery. Be sure to listen for Hans Zimmer‘s tricky score pattering around the background on this one, and to watch Davis really dig in at the end with glimpses what she’s building with this character.

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This clip doesn’t necessarily tell us anything the trailers didn’t; we knew we were in for something tense, something with an uncanny artistic flair for the subject matter, something with a commanding ensemble and engaging craft. Getting a brief listen in for Zimmer’s score and seeing a nice preview of the performances makes this pre-Toronto International Film Festival clip worth its weight in marked bills. It’s not often a big studio like Fox will offer a clip this early.

“Widows” will premiere up in Canada this week, with The Playlist’s review and other reactions on the way. But on paper, this one already feels like a winner; McQueen and screenwriter Gillian Flynn feel made for each other’s sensibilities, and that shot of Daniel Kaluuya and Bryan Tyree Henry at the cemetery already might be one of the year’s most bombastic shots.

Though, as it always does, the awards chatter will begin to stir up around what the February potential is for this one. Can “Widows” transcend its pulpy foundation for something more in the awards run? The early reviews will help us there, but if this film lives up to its potentials (particularly at the box office), that might drive it a bit further down the lane for what Oscar typically likes. McQueen’s an auteur and a legend-in-the-making, and Flynn has proven herself to be a stellar writer. This one might factor in better in the crafts, and perhaps one of its performances might last (watch out for Cynthia Erivo, who feels like she’s going to be the next Mark Rylance stage-to-screen sensation).

Regardless of Academy potential, this movie just looks like a grand time with a regal cast and crew. We’ll know more when the Toronto reviews come out how it all really panned out. You can find out for yourself if they pull it off when the film hits theaters on November 16.