Widows

Widows is an often devastating watch, a film that genuinely gave me a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat, but it's also empowering as hell.

Seeing these actresses work together turns the heist caper genre on its head and provides one more reason why this year is the year of the woman.

Every day, women are robbed of respect, independence and opportunity... but Steve McQueen's thriller satisfyingly shows them taking it back.

As much about class, race, politics, and privilege as it is about heists, Widows presents a fallen world where thievery is just part of life.

Widows boast the best cast of the year and is sure to be that rare film that bridges the gap between arthouse and mainstream.

The plotting is also clunky at times and not much of the action is plausible, but with these astonishing performances, the flaws almost don't matter.

Davis is masterful as the strong leader of this resilient group of women and Rodriguez and Debicki match her in every scene.

Viola Davis says more with her inner smoulder than many actors manage with the proverbial thousand words.

High-profile actors performing in a non-sequel that explores rich themes of grief, betrayal and onerous family legacies is just increasingly rare. Widows may overreach a bit, but who can be mad at the effort?

The violence is quick, brutal, and never quite what we expect. McQueen is more interested in the consequences of that violence, and the consequences are never pretty.