WIDOWS  3.0***

   A crime thriller set in Chicago, this film is about a group of wives of career criminals who find themselves the targets of powerful political and criminal interests after their husbands die in a police shootout following a robbery of another gang’s money. Still grieving, they soon discover how much their husbands owe and who is after them for it and thus a bold heist that was to be done by their husbands is undertaken by them.

A contemporary crime drama, this one delivers well-defined characters and a fast pace that powers the story. It's all woven together by Director Steve McQueen's stellar direction (known for “12 Days a Slave). As a film taking place in Chicago, this story touches on the occasional overlap between the political and criminal worlds. The menacing backdrop of the political tug-of-war between the rich and the poor adds to the film's tension.

This film has a truly stunning ensemble cast and most of the actors and actresses are very good here. Even though the ensemble is large, most of the characters are surprisingly well-developed--a rarity in films with this number of characters. Viola Davis is outstanding as the lead actress ( A sure thing for a Best Actress nomination) . Other standouts in the cast include Colin Farrell as the son  of a crooked and openly racist machine politician (Robert Duvall,) and Daniel Kaluuya as a psychopathic criminal.

The film's heist scenes are suspenseful and well-executed although quite fleeting in duration. The same is true with the scenes regarding the actual planning of the heist. You should know that the film is more of a political/mob drama than a true heist movie.. The film's attempts at social commentary hit most of the time, but the misses don't leave much of a mark.  

"Widows" is a good film but not a great one.  With an ambitious tone rooted in urban and social issues and a number of plotlines, the film bites off more than it can chew. It is also unevenly paced, as most of the planning and execution of the heist occur in the film's final 30 minutes. Yet despite this, the film feels a bit too long. Some of the first act could have been trimmed to tighten up the story. That said, this is a fairly good heist movie  so long as you know what you’re in for. 

Rated R for violence, language throughout, and some sexual content/nudity ( This is a fairly hard R)