#HeatToo: A review of 'Widows'

Some will say “Widows” is a bit derivative. And yes, it is a slick combination of “Heat,” “Ocean’s 8” and “The Wire.” But it’s also something very unique.

The foundation of the story is simple. A foursome of criminals meets an untimely death after an attempted score goes awry. They die a grisly death, and the stolen money goes up in flames.

The wives are left emotionally and financially stranded. While spousal privilege afforded them the knowledge that they were married to members of a thieves den, they knew mostly nothing of the specifics. Furthermore, they have no assets of their own and find themselves in a personal no man’s land, having been wholly dependent on men their entire lives up to that point.

Quickly adding to their new burdens, they discover that their husbands’ ill-attempted gains were to come at the expense of some extremely violent gangsters. These people are not in any way to be trifled with, and they give the women 30 days to repay the money.

The robbery crew leader’s wife, Veronica (Viola Davis) chances upon her husband’s personal ledger, which contains plans for what was going to be the group’s next heist.

Jobless, spouseless and 30 days hence, likely to be lifeless, Veronica and the other wives decide to follow through on the newfound plans as a means to salvation (to pay off their “debts”) but also to have some money left over to start new lives away from the diseased gravitational pulls of their deceased husbands.

Based on an early Eighties British television miniseries, the script was reworked by McQueen and super scriptwriter Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”). It is audacious, grown up entertainment. The plot and context surrounding the heist is pretty complex, but that does nothing to prevent the film from being breathtakingly propulsive thanks to McQueen’s direction.

The cast has absolutely no weak spots. Davis (“Fences”) is amazing as the grieving widow who valiantly claws and chews her way out of the hole that others have dug around her. She may possibly be the best actor out there right now. Michelle Rodriguez (“Fast and the Furious”) does Michelle Rodriguez things, burning up the screen with her usual quiet intensity and shows plenty of range beyond her typecast.

Two lesser known actresses make up the rest of the team. Elizabeth Debicki (“The Night Manager”) is very well-cast in a tragicomic role of a constantly beat down beauty who is ready to have her “mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any longer” moment. And Cynthia Erivo (“Bad Times at the El Royale”) brings a powerful physicality to the proceedings as a late addition to the crew.

The jaw-dropping supporting ensemble cast reflects top actors’ desire to work with McQueen. This is a movie that utilizes acclaimed talent such as Jacki Weaver, Jon Bernthal and Carrie Coon for less than five minutes combined. Check out the cast list for the other names. There’s enough acting power to fuel a dozen feature films.

McQueen sticks pills in peanut butter, using what is ostensibly entertaining pulp fiction to bring awareness to his audience about various themes. Chief among them is feminism. This is a heist movie in the midst of the #MeToo Movement. The women in this film refuse to be supporting characters in the lives of their men and all men really. They accept -- no, they fully seize with both hands -- control of their own destinies through the symbol of this robbery.

Through this Heroine’s journey, McQueen also explores biracial marriage, domestic violence, police brutality, urban gentrification and political corruption. The only quibble may be that the themes are too numerous to go too far in depth.

But even as a shallow movie with no “messages,” it would still stand as one of the best films of the year.