Widows Dvd

Widows is a 2018 British-American heist thriller film directed by Steve McQueen from a screenplay by Gillian Flynn and McQueen, based upon the 1983 British television series of the same name. The plot follows four Chicago women who attempt to steal $5,000,000 from the home of a prominent local politician in order to pay back a crime boss from whom $2,000,000 was stolen by the women’s husbands before they were killed in a botched getaway attempt. A British-American co-production, the film features Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson in an ensemble cast.

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 grossed $76,000,000 world-wide and received praise for its direction, editing, screenplay and performances (particularly Davis, Debicki and Kaluuya), with critics crediting it for blending “dramatic themes with popcorn thrills”. It received several award nominations, among them one for Davis for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Plot

Harry Rawlings and his criminal gang’s getaway van are blown up during a police standoff after stealing $2,000,000 from crime boss Jamal Manning. Jamal threatens Veronica, Harry’s widow, demanding compensation, needing the money to finance his campaign for alderman of a South Side, Chicago ward. He is running against Jack Mulligan, the next-in-line of a dynastic family that has held the position for decades. Mulligan doesn’t like politics, but is happy to profit from it; his racist father Tom, the previous alderman, warns him that he will face everlasting shame if he loses to Jamal.

Veronica is given a key to a safety deposit box by Bash, Harry’s loyal chauffeur, which contains Harry’s notebook. Inside it is a detailed plan for stealing $5 million from Mulligan’s home. She is advised to sell the notebook to Jamal’s people, but decides against it.

Veronica decides to carry out the heist, recruiting two of the other widows, Alice and Linda. Alice had lost her life of luxury and was forced by her mother to become a sugar baby. Linda lost her store, as her husband secretly gambled away the rent payments. The fourth widow, Amanda, does not join them, as Veronica discovers she has a 4-month-old baby. Alice acquires guns and a getaway van, while Linda deciphers Harry’s blueprints. Jamal’s brother and right-hand man Jatemme attacks several witnesses and kills Bash while looking for Harry’s notebook. Eventually, Alice uses a real estate executive, her sugar daddy, to identify the blueprint as the safe room in Mulligan’s home.

Linda recruits Belle, her babysitter, to be the group’s driver. Veronica visits Amanda and her baby, where she notices Harry’s flask, indicating that Harry is likely alive and the father of Amanda’s baby. Devastated, Veronica leaves without saying anything. It is revealed that Harry is alive and double crossed his crew by deliberately blowing up their getaway van. He is in league with Mulligan, to ruin Jamal’s campaign. Returning home, Veronica opens the door to her son’s room and relives the memory of his death (he was shot by police officers after being pulled over while driving). Veronica visits the Mulligan home and asks Jack for protection from the Mannings, but she’s actually there to case the premises, while Belle scans the outdoor security.

Veronica blackmails the CEO of the Mulligans’ security company for the safe code, using incriminating photos left in Harry’s notebook. The heist begins with Belle creating a disturbance down the street to draw the outside security detail away. Veronica and the others stun the lone security guard inside. Veronica, Linda and Alice reach the safe and retrieve the money. On their way out, Tom appears, unmasks Veronica and wounds Alice with a gunshot; Linda fatally shoots him.

The women escape, but Jatemme appears, holds Belle at gunpoint and flees in their van with the money; they follow him in a separate car and ram him from behind, causing him to crash and killing him. They retrieve the money, then get Alice to the hospital. Veronica returns alone to their hideout, where Harry arrives to steal the money, needing $1 million of it to keep Mulligan quiet about his faked death. Harry claims that after the death of their son and subsequent disintegration of their marriage, he wanted to start over with Amanda and their child. Harry retrieves the money in the van, and turns to shoot Veronica – but Veronica kills him first.

Jack wins the position of alderman due to a sympathy vote following his father’s murder. Linda reacquires her store, Alice sets up her own business, and Belle moves away. Veronica donates a large sum to rebuild a school library on the condition that it be named after her son Marcus. Outside of a diner, Veronica sees and warmly greets Alice.

Cast

The Widows
Viola Davis as Veronica Rawlings, a Chicago teachers’ union delegate and Harry’s widow
Michelle Rodriguez as Linda, a clothing store owner and Carlos’s widow
Elizabeth Debicki as Alice, Florek’s widow, who becomes a sugar baby to support herself after her husband’s death
Carrie Coon as Amanda, Jimmy’s widow, who is not involved in Veronica’s robbery scheme
The Husbands
Liam Neeson as Harry Rawlings, a renowned bank robber who was Veronica’s loving husband
Jon Bernthal as Florek, a member of Harry’s gang who was Alice’s abusive husband
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Carlos, a member of Harry’s gang who was Linda’s gambler husband
Coburn Goss as Jimmy, a member of Harry’s gang who was Amanda’s husband
The Antagonists
Colin Farrell as Jack Mulligan, a politician who is mixed up in Veronica’s plan
Brian Tyree Henry as Jamal Manning, a crime boss and politician who believes Veronica is indebted to him
Daniel Kaluuya as Jatemme Manning, Jamal’s brother and mob enforcer
Robert Duvall as Tom Mulligan, Jack’s father and a power broker at odds with his son
Other characters
Cynthia Erivo as Belle, a babysitter and beautician who looks after Linda’s children and works with Veronica’s group
Garret Dillahunt as Bash Babiak, Harry and Veronica’s chauffeur
Jacki Weaver as Agnieska, Alice’s abusive mother
Lukas Haas as David, a real estate developer with whom Alice develops a transactional sexual relationship following Florek’s death
Matt Walsh as Ken, the CEO of a security company
Kevin J. O’Connor as Bobby Welsh, a disabled bowling alley worker who was formerly involved with Harry
Michael J. Harney as Fuller, a corrupt cop