Liam Neesonhas played quite a number of unforgettable tough men with murky morals. InSteve McQueen’s underrated 2018 heist movieWidows, he portrays Harry Rawlings, an experienced robbery mastermind whose presumed sudden death serves as the film’s inciting incident. But Neeson seldom looks comfortable in his role, and even he admits it. “I thought I was miscast. I’ve never felt that before,”Neeson saidof his role. The real problem, however, is that Neeson doesn’t quite fit into this mix and its different kind of intensity. His presence in the movie, particularly his chemistry withViola Davis, who plays his onscreen wife/widow Veronica, doesn’t spark the emotional depth that McQueen’s otherwise sharp story demands.
Still,Widowssoars, thanks mostly to its powerhouse ensemble of women playing characters motivated by their primal instinct to survive. Viola Davis,Michelle Rodriguez,Elizabeth Debicki, andCynthia Erivoform a formidable onscreen team that outwits their opponents. Their male co-stars, includingDaniel Kaluuya,Colin Farrell,andBrian Tyree Henry, are equally impressive, butWidowsreally is a woman’s world.
What Is ‘Widows’ About?
Widowsfollows four women left behind by their deceased robber husbands, including Harry’s widow Veronica (Davis). Haunted by a gang their husbands crossed, Veronica rallies the four women, who have nothing in common besides their husbands’ shared notorious legacy, to execute Harry’s plan for the next heist and pay off the tormentors.
Liam Neeson’s reputation in crime thrillers is that of the guy who dominates the screen with his physicality and gravitas. We remember him for the phone call that dismantled an international crime syndicate inTaken. InAbsolution, he’s the “Thug” who, despite age and disease catching up with him, still breaks the jaws and necks of hardened criminals out to kill him. In short, Neeson is the right guy to call if you need to fend off bad guys or hunt them altogether. Unfortunately, it may not be for long asthe movie star announced his desire to step back from action roles.
Liam Neeson’s Out-of-Sync Performance Nearly Derails ‘Widows’ Emotional Core
InWidows, Neeson is a ghost—for most of the film, literally. Harry Rawlings is introduced during a fevered montage of passion and planning with his wife, Veronica. Soon after, he’s presumed dead in a botched heist. Harry then reappears in flashbacks of Veronica’s imagination, depicting their interactions, mostly romance, and some hints of his robbery plans. His character, a symbol of betrayal, grief, and manipulation, never feels real, especially with theshocking plot twistat the end of the film. But even more glaring is the lack of chemistry between him and Davis. Their pairing feels like a hollow romance. There’s no shared history felt between the two, no warmth, no weariness of a complicated marriage. They barely have anything that binds them apart from a few make-out scenes, which remain the only thread connecting them throughout. Between them, there’s just a shadow of something deeper that never takes form.
For Davis, despite her chemistry with Neeson, their interracial pairing wasa bold move for representation in Hollywood.She said of the film’s opening scene where their characters kiss, “If it’s not a big deal, why hasn’t it been done? Sometimes I feel like the biggest political statements are the simplest.” Neeson, on the other hand, thought he was a mismatch: “I said to Steve, ‘I don’t think I belong in this.’” He was right. But in an ironic twist, his misfit energy revealed just how integral the widows are to the film’s emotional appeal.
The Women of ‘Widows’ Are Its True Power Players
Widowsoffersa different kind of heist movie—it’s almost detached from the job itself. Yes, it captures the planning, including a recon visit to the scene of the crime, but it’s the film’s exploration of grief, survival, and unlikely alliances that form in the wake of a shared tragedy that are its biggest strength. You walk alongside Viola Davis as she desperately fights for survival, not greed, with her determination to finish her “dead” husband’s criminal work. Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo join her as partners in crime, delivering a kind of pain and power you can only find in their quartet.
Steve McQueen Put a Modern Spin on the Heist Film With This Underrated Crime Thriller
Starring Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, and Liam Neeson, amongst an impressive cast, this 2018 didn’t get the attention it deserved.
Debicki plays Alice, who begins the film as perhaps the most vulnerable. She is battered by grief and leans on anything and anyone that offers a shoulder or distraction, but emerges as the most unexpected force in the group.She is sharp, resourceful, and fearless.As Linda,Michelle Rodriguez tends to her maternal instincts, balancing the responsibility that comes with it with the mounting stakes.She ushers in Erivo’s Belle, who adds muscle and nerve. Belle is the final nut the group has been waiting for to tighten their plan. She’s agile, brave, and motivated by her desire to provide for her daughter and uplift her community, which has been disadvantaged by politics.Theirlayered charactersmake us understand them and even root for them, paving the way for tension when they face off against corrupt political figures like Colin Farrell’s Jack Mulligan or Daniel Kaluuya’s terrifying mob enforcer.
Liam Neeson’s presence inWidowsmay be one of the film’s few miscalculations, but it doesn’t undercut what Steve McQueen achieves. If anything, it makes the women’s triumph feel even more earned.Neeson was right that he didn’t belong, but the film is better for it.
