What Did You Think of “Widows”?

My expectations for the new movie, Widows, were pretty high…and they were vastly exceeded.

I’ll keep the first part of this post completely spoiler free. Basically, if you enjoy heist movies, The Wire, compelling characters, and/or superbly directed and acted films, I highly recommend Widows. The one caveat is that there are moments of violence in this film–it doesn’t glorify violence, but it doesn’t shy away from it in a few scenes. I had to avert my eyes twice, but it didn’t take me out of the movie.

I really need to give full credit to direct Steve McQueen. I’m not familiar with his previous work (he’s most known for Shame and 12 Years a Slave), but he’s now rocketed to the upper echelon of must-watch directors. I’ll give one example in the mild spoiler section below.

***minor spoilers***

There’s a scene near the beginning of the movie where a rich political candidate gives a brief speech in a run-down part of Chicago. Without a single cut, the camera follows the car from that area to a big house owned by the candidate in a nice area. With a single brushstroke, the director conveys how big the wealth gap can be even within the same area. He uses the minute we spend with the car to let the audience listen to an important conversation between the candidate and his assistant. The scene is absolutely brilliant, and it is one of many.

***end spoilers***

I loved this film–it’s absolutely one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. The violence was a little hard to handle in a few of the scenes, but I understand why it was there.

If you saw Widows and want to discuss it in the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you seen any of McQueen’s other movies?

5 thoughts on “What Did You Think of “Widows”?”

  1. I already have my ticket for a showing alter tonight but your Wire mention has me really excited. I LOVE that show! I’ll post my comments tomorrow.

    Reply
      • MINOR SPOILERS

        That was a great movie, definitely one of the best I’ve seen this year. I had only read “There’s a scene near the beginning” but as soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be it. Such a great shot blending plot and subtle social commentary! I also loved the shot from inside the van at the very beginning, but I wished it hadn’t been interrupted so often! I’ve always found short bursts of violence to be much much more impactful and Widows was no exception. It reminded me a lot of Wind River, another good thriller, in that way and 12 Years a Slave, which I highly recommend. Difficult subject matter and definitely some tough scenes to watch, but just another really well acted and directed movie. But the question I had on my mind the entire movie:

        Was Veronica’s dog, Olivia, also Bastien from Game Night?

        Reply
        • I’m glad you liked it, Charles! I agree that short bursts of violence in movies are more effective than a long, drawn-out scenes.

          I thought I recognized Bastien somewhere! You might be right. 🙂

          Reply

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