A masterfully crafted and portrayed crime thriller, Widows blends character driven dynamics with an intense atmosphere to make for an engrossing, stakes filled watch.

Heist movies usually are the domain of men. It’s where those quiet and cool silent types (usually portrayed by the likes of Robert De Niro and George Clooney) do all matter of thievery with style and more than a hint of danger. The women in these movies are usually relegated to “emotional support” roles. Michael Mann’s 1995 crime opus Heat personified this, with the varied female characters providing the emotional anchor to their respective male partners. Widows, the fourth feature film from Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) flips that gender archetype on its head, and rousingly succeeds in doing so.

Written by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), this modern-day Chicago set adaptation of the British 1980s TV series stars Viola Davis as Veronica Rawlings, the widow of notorious criminal Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson) who – along with his crew – are killed in a heist gone very, very bad. With a debt to pay to some very powerful and dangerous people, Veronica brings together her fellow widows Linda (Michelle Rodrigeuz) and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) to pull off a heist that can clear the black dot next to their name and reclaim their lives.

Unlike that other 2018 female led heist movie Oceans 8, Widows is filled with stakes that feel damn near palpable. McQueen creates levels of tension so thick you could carve it with a knife. His first foray into genre comes with it his knack for intimate character studies, and terrific performances from a cast who all fulfil their character with raw emotion and unnerving spirit.

Key among them is Viola Davis, the Oscar winner bringing a strength and hard-edged front that masks a broken heart. Even more impressive is Elizabeth Debicki in a standout turn as a beat upon wife who rises above her oppression and beyond any restriction to grab her opportunity for freedom. Bad-ass, sexy, and with an uncanny ability to blend surprising moments of humour in the most dramatic of situations, Debicki is a scene stealer from start to finish. Great too is Daniel Kaluuya in one of the years’ best villainous turns, holding the screen with a chilling demeanour that breaks with unspeakable violence.

McQueen and Flynn not only have created great characters and a great story, but they set it all within a Chicago where crime and politics go hand in hand, a metropolis where the powerful reign over and shake-down its victims with regularity. Widows is a story of resistance and retaliation, done with masterful skill and portrayed with grit. A heist thriller sure to sit comfortably amongst the best of its kind.