Written by: Steve McQueen, Gillian Flynn
Starring: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki
IMDb Link
I wasn't surprised to learn that this film was based on a book; it's so packed with plot and character details and is told from so many different perspectives that it's sprawling and a little bloated. However, the main story thread is incredibly thrilling, filled with twists and turns that are made that much stronger by a series of excellent performances from the entire cast.
The film follows four women brought together by tragedy, three of them widows of thieves who had been brutally shot by the police during a heist gone wrong. These women are pressured by a local crime boss campaigning for alderman to find replacement for money that had burned up in the heist, and turn to the next and last job planned by one of the widow's husbands. Meanwhile, the crime boss goes head to head in his campaign against a political dynasty, and attempts to recover and tie up loose ends with excessive force, while the next-in-line for this dynasty grapples with the drudgery of the political game. If that sounds like a lot, it is; the film only barely manages to squeeze in enough time to give careful enough consideration to each story and character thread to be successful. That said, all of it is ultimately worth it despite the constant shifting around, as even scenes that don't seem particularly relevant to the plot are still interesting and thematically appropriate revelations of character that further provide depth to much of the cast.
As for the cast itself, this film is a powerhouse of an ensemble, with everyone offering a strong impression. Davis is an obvious highlight, her cold, dispassionate exterior as well realised as the pain, sadness and anger she hides with her persona, her public and private expressions both informing and supporting the effect of one another. Rodriguez and Debicki are also excellent, each appearing initially as obvious choices for their roles before revealing the depth of their respective characters, and ultimately pulling off strong against-type work that each make good counters to Davis. Most notable among the smaller roles, however, is Daniel Kaluuya as the brother and enforcer of the crime boss. The man immerses himself in such a small and simple role, becoming for a few brief moments one of the creepiest and most memorable psychopathic villains of the year, his abhorrent detachment from reality enough to make him as creepy simply standing around as he is stabbing the legs of a paralysed man for fun. He has no more than a handful of scenes, but manages to enthrall with every bit of material he's given.
Of course, a director like McQueen knows what material to give. While moving from scene to scene can be a little disorienting for how often the film changes story threads, each scene is as compelling visually as it is due to its performances. There's some really neat experimentation with long takes here, from slight twists on more conventional (but still very skillful) takes winding around characters, flowing and fluxing to emphasis changes in the intensity of the scene, to more intriguingly shot scenes such as a conversation on politics that we only hear, played against the goings-on of the neighbourhood as the characters involved ride in a car. Whether it's the visuals or the performances, each scene manages to be interesting on its own, even if the connections between them are not always immediately apparent.
The Short Version: A sprawling and messy but exhilarating and sometimes captivating thriller that has the cast and the style to make up for its mild shortcomings. The work from Davis and Kaluuya is alone more than enough for me to recommend this.
Rating: 7.5/10
Published December 23rd, 2018
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