1. Plot

2. Cast

3. Production

4. Release

5. Reception
    Box office  Critical response 

6. Accolades
    Top ten lists  Awards and nominations 

7. See also

8. Further reading

9. References

10. External links

• Steve McQueen
• Iain Canning
• Emile Sherman
• Arnon Milchan

• Gillian Flynn
• Steve McQueen

• Viola Davis
• Michelle Rodriguez
• Elizabeth Debicki
• Cynthia Erivo
• Colin Farrell
• Brian Tyree Henry
• Daniel Kaluuya
• Jacki Weaver
• Carrie Coon
• Robert Duvall
• Liam Neeson

• 20th Century Fox

• Regency Enterprises
• Film4
• New Regency Productions
• See-Saw Films
• Lammas Park Productions
• TSG Entertainment

Widows is a 2018 heist film directed by Steve McQueen from a screenplay by McQueen and Gillian Flynn, based upon the 1983 British television series of the same name.^[3] The plot, set in Chicago, follows a group of women who attempt a heist in order to pay back a crime boss after their criminal husbands are killed on a botched job. A British-American co-production, the film features an ensemble cast consisting of Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson.

Widows premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2018 and in the United States on November 16, by 20th Century Fox. The film has grossed $76 million worldwide and received praise for its direction, screenplay and performances (particularly Davis, Debicki and Kaluuya), with critics crediting it for blending "dramatic themes with popcorn thrills".^[4][5] It received several award nominations, among them one for Davis for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Plot

Harry Rawlings, a renowned thief, is killed alongside his partners during a botched robbery. His widow, Veronica, is threatened by crime boss Jamal Manning, from whom Harry and his partners stole $2 million. Jamal needs the money to finance his electoral campaign for alderman of a South Side ward, where he is running against Jack Mulligan, the next-in-line of a dynastic family who have historically dominated the alderman position. Veronica discovers Harry's notebook, which contains a detailed plan for a heist of $5 million. She decides to carry out the plan to repay her debt to Jamal, and recruits two of the other widows, Alice and Linda, to assist her. The fourth widow, Amanda, does not show at their initial meeting; when Veronica visits Amanda and notices Harry's flask on a table, she realizes that Harry is the father of Amanda's newborn child. Devastated by Harry's infidelity, Veronica leaves. Alice buys the getaway car and guns, while Linda is tasked with deciphering a blueprint in Harry's plan. Alice uses a real estate executive with whom she is in a transactional relationship to identify the blueprint as a safe in Jack Mulligan's home.

When Veronica's loyal chauffeur is murdered by Manning's people, Linda recruits Belle, her children’s babysitter, to be their driver. Veronica visits the Mulligan home to ask Jack for protection from Manning—a request he rebuffs—and to case the premises in advance of the heist, while Belle scans the external security. Veronica acquires the code to the safe by blackmailing the CEO of the Mulligans' security company, using incriminating photos left in Harry's notebook. The group commences the heist but is interrupted by Tom Mulligan, father of Jack and alderman incumbent, who shoots and wounds Alice; Linda returns fire and kills him. They escape with the money, but are caught by Jamal's brother Jatemme, who steals it from them. The group chases down Jatemme, ramming his van off the road into a median, killing him, and retrieves the money. The group then splits up and goes their separate ways, with Veronica returning to the hideout. Harry, who had faked his death and set up his partners after being hired by Jack, arrives at the hideout to take the money from Veronica so that he can build a new life with Amanda. Veronica kills Harry after he attacks her.

Jack wins the election on a wave of public sympathy following his father's murder. Linda reacquires the store she lost upon her husband's death; Alice sets up her own business, and Belle moves away. With Manning no longer a threat, Veronica donates much of her share to endow a library project in her and Harry's deceased son's memory. Veronica and Alice encounter each other in a diner. They initially ignore each other, but Veronica warmly greets Alice outside.

Cast

• Viola Davis as Veronica Rawlings, a Chicago teachers' union delegate and Harry's wife
• Michelle Rodriguez as Linda Perelli, a clothing store owner and Carlos' wife
• Elizabeth Debicki as Alice Gunner, Agnieszka's daughter and Florek's wife, who becomes a sugar baby to support herself after her husband's death
• Cynthia Erivo as Belle, a babysitter and beautician who looks after Linda's children, and works with Veronica's group
• Colin Farrell as Jack Mulligan, Tom's son and a politician who is mixed up in the widows' plans
• Brian Tyree Henry as Jamal Manning, Jatemme's brother, a crime boss and politician, who believes Veronica is indebted to him
• Daniel Kaluuya as Jatemme Manning, Jamal's brother and his mob enforcer
• Garret Dillahunt as Bash Babiak, the Rawlings family chauffeur
• Carrie Coon as Amanda Nunn, Jimmy's wife, a widow, who is not involved in the robbery
• Jacki Weaver as Agnieszka, Alice's abusive mother
• Robert Duvall as Tom Mulligan, Jack's father and a power broker at odds with his son
• Liam Neeson as Harry Rawlings, partner of Carlos, Jimmy and Florek, Veronica's husband and a renowned bank robber
• Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Carlos Perelli, Linda's husband who is a gambler and partner of Harry, Jimmy and Florek
• Jon Bernthal as Florek Gunner, Alice's abusive husband and partner of Harry, Carlos and Jimmy
• Coburn Goss as Jimmy Nunn, Amanda's husband and partner of Harry, Carlos and Florek
• Molly Kunz as Siobhan, Jack's young campaign manager
• Lukas Haas as David, a real estate developer with whom Alice develops a transactional sexual relationship following Florek's death
• Kevin J. O'Connor as Bobby Welsh, a disabled bowling alley worker who was formerly involved with Harry
• Matt Walsh as Ken, the CEO of a security company
• Michael Harney as Sergeant Fuller, a corrupt cop involved in a conspiracy
• Jon Michael Hill as John Wheeler, an inspiring reverend at a Chicago church visited by Jamal
• Josiah Sheffie as Marcus Rawlings, Veronica and Harry's deceased son
• Adepero Oduye as Breechelle
• Ann Mitchell as Mrs. Nunn, Amanda's mother
• Chuck Inglish as Darius
• Sir Michael Rocks as Malik

Production

The project was announced as being in development on March 27, 2015, with a script written by Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen, and with McQueen attached to direct.^[6] In September 2016, Viola Davis joined the cast. It was reported that Jennifer Lawrence was approached for a role, but, due to scheduling conflicts, had to decline.^[7] In November 2016, Cynthia Erivo joined the cast.^[8] In January 2017, André Holland entered negotiations to co-star in the film, but does not appear in the finished product.^[9] The next month, Elizabeth Debicki was cast in the role Lawrence had declined,^[10][11] and Michelle Rodriguez^[12] and Daniel Kaluuya were also announced as cast members.^[13] In March, Liam Neeson joined the cast.^[14] The following month, Colin Farrell was added along with Robert Duvall.^[15][16] In May, Garret Dillahunt, Jacki Weaver, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry were set to co-star,^{[17][18][19][20][21]} and in June, Carrie Coon was added.^[22] Michael Harney and Jon Bernthal joined the cast in August.^[23][24] The British actress Ann Mitchell, who had portrayed Dolly Rawlins in the television series, has a small part as Amanda's mother.

Principal photography began on May 8, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.^[25][26]{{Rp|18}}

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018.^[28][29] It was released in the United States on November 16, 2018.^[30]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Widows was released alongside The Crimes of Grindelwald and Instant Family, and was projected to gross $12–18 million from 2,803 theaters in its opening weekend.^[31] It grossed $4.2 million on its first day, including $600,000 from Thursday night previews. It ended up making $12.3 million over the weekend, finishing fifth at the box office. Deadline Hollywood stated that the low debut was because of a "lack of urgency" in the advertising, and that the studio should not have relied on the good reviews alone to sell the film.^[32] Other publications, including Business Insider, said the film should have been released outside the busy November frame, and that the perceived marketing toward specifically African-American audiences, and its R-rating, limited the film's appeal.^[33] In its second weekend, the film dropped 33% to $8.2 million (and $10.5 million total over the five-day Thanksgiving frame), finishing eighth.^[34]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 371 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Widows rounds up a stellar ensemble for a heist thriller that mixes popcorn entertainment with a message – and marks another artistic leap for director Steve McQueen."^[35] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 57 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[36] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars; social media monitor RelishMix noted online responses to the film were "mixed".^[32]

Accolades

Top ten lists

• 1st – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
• 1st – David Sims, The Atlantic
• 2nd – Vinnie Mancuso, The Globe & Mail
• 3rd – Matthew Jacobs, The Huffington Post
• 3rd – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
• 4th – Tim Grierson, Screen Daily
• 5th – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
• 5th – Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
• 6th – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
• 6th – Jason Guerrasio, Business Insider
• 6th – Kristen Lopez, RogerEbert.com
• 7th – Christopher Orr, The Atlantic
• 7th – Marlow Stern, The Daily Beast
• 8th – Jesse Hassenger, The A.V. Club
• 8th – Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly
• 8th – Carly Darling, Houston Chronicle
• 9th – Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine
• 9th – Omer Mozaffar, RogerEbert.com
• 9th – Vinnie Mancuso, Collider.com
• 9th – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
• 10th – The Guardian
• 10th – Matt Singer, ScreenCrush
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – WIRED
• Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel
• Best of 2018 (listed alphabetically, not ranked), NPR

Awards and nominations

See also

• List of black films of the 2010s

Further reading

• {{Cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-mov-widows-mcqueen-viola-davis-1111-story.html |title=Viola Davis, Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen enter Chicago underworld with 'Widows' |last=Phillips |first=Michael |date=November 8, 2018 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=2018-11-11 |language=en-US}}

References

External links

• {{Official}}
• {{IMDb title}}

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