Back in 2013, director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave simultaneously swept the Academy Awards while offering a harrowing representation of American slavery. The film cemented McQueen as a director to be respected not only for his craft, but also his ability to tackle difficult topics without toning them down for the sake of marketability. Now, after a five-year hiatus, the trailer for McQueen’s latest film Widows offers a more streamlined, yet still subversive, ensemble piece worth watching in the near future.
Based on the 1983 British TV series, Widows focuses on the actions of four women, played respectively by Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, and Michelle Rodriguez, each of whom is married to a member of a crime gang. When the male gang members are killed in a failed heist attempt, however, the four widows must band together to finish the heist and rid themselves of financial debt. Why? As Viola Davis’ character puts it, “because no one thinks we have the balls to pull this off.”
Widows is co-written by McQueen and Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn. In addition to the four female leads, the film also stars Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry.
The film is set to be released on November 16.
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