Widows (2018 film)

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 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, then plants the gun used to kill Tom Mulligan on him.

Mulligan 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.

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.[7] 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.[8] In November 2016, Cynthia Erivo joined the cast.[9] In January 2017, André Holland entered negotiations to co-star in the film, but does not appear in the finished product.[10] The next month, Elizabeth Debicki was cast in the role Lawrence had declined,[11][12] and Michelle Rodriguez[13] and Daniel Kaluuya were also announced as cast members.[14] In March, Liam Neeson joined the cast.[15] The following month, Colin Farrell was added along with Robert Duvall.[16][17] In May, Garret Dillahunt, Jacki Weaver, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Lukas Haas and Brian Tyree Henry were set to co-star,[18][19][20][21][22] and in June, Carrie Coon was added.[23] Michael Harney and Jon Bernthal joined the cast in August.[24][25] 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.[26][27]^:18

Hans Zimmer composed the film's score with additional music provided by Steve Mazzaro. The soundtrack, released by Milan Records, includes the score as well as songs by Nina Simone, and the Cool Kids, as well as a new song "The Big Unknown" by Sade later released as a single.[28]

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018.[29][30] It was released in the United States on November 16, 2018.[31]

• List of black films of the 2010s

• Phillips, Michael (November 8, 2018). "Viola Davis, Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen enter Chicago underworld with 'Widows'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-11-11.

• Widows – official site
• Widows at IMDb
• Widows at Metacritic
• Widows at Rotten Tomatoes