If I asked you which upcoming all-female heist movie you were most excited about, you’d be forgiven for choosing the highly anticipated “Ocean’s 8.” But, when the dust settles, I’d wager that Steve McQueen’s “Widows” will be the 2018 caper film that stands the test of time.
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First of all, check out the talent attached to this project. In addition to Oscar winner McQueen (“12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”) directing a script he co-wrote with Gillian Flynn (who adapted “Gone Girl” from her own novel), “Widows” stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Daniel Kaluuya, and Robert Duvall.
It’s easy to see what attracted such a talented cast and crew, as this thriller’s plot has the potential to touch on any number of themes. Based on an acclaimed ‘80s British TV series, “Widows” is darker and more fraught than the charming heists of the ‘Ocean’s’ films. As the title implies, it follows four female leads who take it upon themselves to finish the robbery that killed their criminally-inclined husbands.
Everything we’ve seen so far indicates McQueen made a heist movie that is equal parts exciting and intelligent (think Spike Lee’s “Inside Man” or Ben Affleck’s “The Town”). Here’s how our own Gregory Ellwood described the preview he saw at CinemaCon: “The footage was inherently commercial, but with the dramatic depth you’d expect from McQueen who seemingly has a lot more to say about wealth and sexism than the trappings of a standard revenge flick.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
“From Academy Award®-winning director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) and co-writer and bestselling author Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”) comes a blistering, modern-day thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion, and corruption. “Widows” is the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. “Widows” also stars Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry.”
“Widows” opens November 16.
