Dir. Steve McQueen's WIDOWS Women Take Charge in a Crime Caper with Viola Davis and Liam Neeson

 WIDOWS has a short prequel from the film's screenwriter, producer & director Steve McQueen (with outtakes).  He claims making this film was a life ambition & hopes we enjoy the film.  Does the artist & director of Acad. Award winning film "12 Years a Slave" need to hawk his own film?  This was biggest paradox of this action, crime caper.  Perhaps McQueen felt unsure outside his social realism genre and plead his case for expanding his style.   McQueen has been named Commander of the Order for the British Empire.  Regardless, he's quite at home in American storytelling.  WIDOWS takes place in Chicago amidst a political race.  Jack Mulligan (a miscast Colin Farrell) of a white family political dynasty is vying for the district against a local black minster.  Both make deals with the devil to garner self-serving avarice.  Neither candidate gets their own hands dirty but have their  villainous henchmen to carry out their onerous deeds.  Jack Mulligan is the prodigal son of Chicago's political dynasty.  Jack's father (Robert Duval) is a loathsome racist tyrant.  Duval's character is a buffoonish bully stolen from gangster typecasting.  Jalemme (Daniel Kaluya, "Get Out") fares better as the preacher's pit bull. His menacing glare instills real terror.  McQueen's social commentary harkens on dirty politics & racial oppression.  This is subjugated to the crime caper fueled by women widow worriers.  The foxy posse is led by Veronica (the unsurpassable Viola Davis).  Veronica is married to Harry (Liam Neeson) the ring leader for a group of thugs who have long carried out crimes together.  The wives had turned a blind (or bruised eye) to their spouses nefarious dealings and were unbeknownst to each other.  Their spouses' last heist goes fatally wrong.  This leaves Veronica owing millions to the mob, or else!   She assembles 2 of the 3 widows with an offer they can't refuse with little to lose & much to gain by pulling off a major con job.  They have going for them is "No one would suspect they have the balls to do it."  McQueen doesn't pull off a persuasive crime action thriller.  What McQueen does with queenly elegance is present a stirring portrayal of women empowering themselves. The women ruled the men were fools.   Casting Viola Davis was the saving grace.  She was assisted by an exceptional crew including Michelle Rodrigues {"The Fast & Furios),  Cynthia Rodriguez (Tony Award "The Color Purple") and award winning actress Elizabeth Debicki.  Sparks flew when the women formed a crew.  The chemistry between Davis & Debicki was formidable.   No doubt, McQueen's final scene sets up a sequel with Davis and Debicki.  I would order McQueen to detour from crime/action movies and command he write & director another film co-starring these two daunting dames.