Widows

Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson) is a criminal mastermind. His crew, Carlos Perelli (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), Florek Gunner (Jon Bernthal) and Jimmy Nunn (Coburn Goss) are lucky to be with him. Unfortunately, they're in a movie called Widows. They're all killed in a fiery shootout with Chicago PD before the title even comes up.

Harry's wife, Veronica (Viola Davis), tries to get by without him. Unfortunately, Harry's last job had him steal $2 million from Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree-Henry), a gangster turned candidate for Alderman. Jamal bills Veronica for the theft and gives her a month to pay up.

Veronica finds Harry's notebook, which has the plans for his next crime. It's worth $5 million. Veronica recruits two of the other widows of Harry's crew, Linda Perelli (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki), for the heist. The fourth widow, Amanda Nunn (Carrie Coon), is preoccupied with her baby. Her spot is filled by Belle (Cynthia Erivo), Linda's babysitter. The four women prepare for the heist. The target is the home of Jamal's political opponent, Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell). Things get complicated when Veronica learns more about Harry's last heist.

Director Steve McQueen and his co-writer, Gillian Flynn, adapted the ITV series scripted by Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect). The opening sequence goes back and forth between Harry and Co.'s home-lives and their final heist. We get so much in roughly five minutes. The rest of the film's 128 minutes perfectly balances the widows' individual storylines as they prepare for the heist. We perfectly understand their desperation as they turn to crime. The climactic heist and its aftermath will not disappoint.

The ensemble is a great crew. Davis as Veronica tries to remain stoic in the face of tragedy. It isn't easy, though. Debicki gets a major share of the story as she romances a real-estate broker (Lukas Haas) to get info on their target. Rodriguez as Linda is unsure of the plan's success, but she proves herself strong-willed and quick witted. Erivo as Belle only joins later on but she's a formidable presence. Coon as Amanda is barely in the film but is more essential than we think.

Neither of the alderman candidates, Mulligan or Manning, are likable guys. Neither are Mulligan's grumpy, racist father Tom (Robert Duvall) or Jamal's brutal brother and enforcer Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya). The true mastermind of the heist is equally sympathetic and pathetic. The actors play their unlikability with finesse.

McQueen's usual editor and cinematographer, Joe Walker and Sean Bobbitt, head up a great technical crew. Walker gets points for his balance of action and drama. The flashbacks tell a lot without saying a lot. Bobbitt gets points for his spectacular long takes. One of these takes has Mulligan ride in his car and argue with an aide for a few minutes. Hans Zimmer's score is perhaps his most subdued in years. It doesn't show up until about 40 minutes or so. It's still a memorable soundtrack.

Widows isn't as flashy as the Oceans Eleven movies. But it's still a formidable heist movie. We're invested with its four protagonists as they stand up to their personal problems. Its ending is satisfying but not clean-cut. You'll think hard about the societal injustices fought here. You'll definitely remember that shocking swerve twist. Widows will fill your need for a subdued action film this holiday season. It's that good.