“No-one thinks we have the balls to pull this off.”

***

Widows is a heist movie as far removed from the likes of Ocean’s 8 as you can get; no glitz, all dark criminal underworld and racial politics. It’s the latter theme, race, which is central. Black politicians rally against the white gentrification of Jack Mulligan’s (Colin Farrell) born-with-a-silver-spoon political prodigy, the cultural divide between the two parties drawn-out plainly. Meanwhile, Viola Davis’ Veronica, a black widower to a white criminal husband (Liam Neeson), already torn by the police shooting of her mixed-race son is forced to pick up her newly deceased partner’s life of robbery to survive.

It’s a compelling setup, backed by superb performances. Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez are at their career best, Farrell is terrifically crooked and Daniel Kaluuya is sublimely terrifying. Davis is the icing on the cake; she’s operating on a higher level than most everyone at all times. The only small quibble is with the actual heist, which – exciting as it is – is over a tad too quickly. But Widows stands on the strength of its performances alongside its thematic depth. Both of which will leave a lasting impression.

Rating (out of 5):