Widows

The marketing of a film is a crucial aspect of filmmaking that is usually glossed over. The expectations for any upcoming release are all thanks to the way posters and trailers are created.

Widows is director/writer Steve McQueen’s follow up film to his Best Picture Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave. The story follows a set of women (Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo), three of whom have their husbands murdered in a heist gone wrong. They find the plans of the following heist their loved ones where planning and the women decide to pull off the robbery themselves.

The film was adapted from a 1983 British television series of the same name, and the amount of story and subplots is indicative of that. The film’s main problem is that there is too much going on for a single movie. There are too many subplots that bog down the pace of the story, which had already been slow enough given McQueen’s style.

The cast is truly magnificent, and may be one of the few reasons you keep watching and not doze off. The bare bones of the story would seem to be intriguing given the premise and collaborators, but the subsequent arrangement and execution leave one wanting much more.

McQueen is able to infuse unique cinematic vision that only a skilled director could have done and his co-writer Gillian Flynn helps add a noir-esque spin to his dark tale. However, the crowded plots and sluggish pace detract from a film that will already be disappointing those who saw the film’s marketing campaign.

6.8/10