Review: Widows - Tense and thrilling multi-layered heist movie that will leave it's audience satisified

The movie selection for this week's movie review at Tralee Omniplex was a very easy decision to make. Combine an Academy Award winning director in Steve McQueen, with source material from the great Lynda La Plante, co written by McQueen and Gillian Flynn with an all star cast that includes Viola Davis, Liam Neeson and Colin Farrell and you have the ingredients for something special right from the start.
Widows tells the story of four women with nothing in common except a colossal debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities. Set in Chicago, during a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Viola Davis), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to create a future on their own terms.
In what is a complete change of pace for director McQueen after such films as Twelve Years a Slave, Shame and Hunger, the talented film maker tackles the heist genre for the first time, with interesting results.
The key to his success throughout this compelling feature is that not only does he give proper attention and execution to the various factors that make a great heist movie but this film is also multi-layered with so much extra themes running though it. It also acts as a social commentary dealing with such issues as race, gender and grief and all the time keeping it's audience on it's toes with a constant tension encompassing the whole production.
Central to this film's excellence is the performances of it's extremely talented all star cast with special praise going to Daniel Kaluuya as my pick for henchman of the year as he simply eats every scene he is in. It's the performance of Viola Davis though that sticks in the mind long after the end credits role as she ties the whole production together magnificently in her portrayal of leader Veronica and award nominations may not be far away again this year for this highly decorated and always brilliant actress.
On the whole, Widows is fierce, tense and dramatic heist thriller that will leave it's audience highly satisfied and cements McQueens position as a director that clearly can do no wrong!
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