Widows
2018
**½
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson
After stealing USD 2M from Chicago mob boss Jamal Manning, a gang of four men die in a police shootout. The gang leader's widow, Veronica, is forced to follow in her husband's footsteps when Manning, who runs an expensive election campaign, blackmails her for the money that he lost. Steve McQueen's adaptation of Lynda La Plante's TV series (1983-1985) is a stylish and entertaining crime drama. That is, if you can switch off your brain completely. Thinking about it reveals it to be feminist wish fulfilment where the (lack of) planning, execution, and aftermath of the heist do not include one believable moment. I still don't know why the notebook was needed. The men in this story are treacherous, corrupt, racist, or abusive monsters. Nevertheless, David, Rodriguez, and Debicki give terrific performances. Scripted by McQueen and Gillian Flynn.
