Dont You Dare Cross Revenge-Seeking Viola Davis in Widows
[embedded content] The first trailer for Widows has arrived, in all its angry glory. The film, dire..
The first trailer for Widows has arrived, in all its angry glory. The film, directed by Oscar-winner Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and written by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), stars Viola Davis as the ringleader of a gang of mourning, revenge-hungry widows (played by Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Erivo, and Elizabeth Debicki) determined to avenge their fallen husbands, who were all killed after a robbery gone horribly wrong. After figuring out how much money their husbands owe various factions, the quartet concoct a high-octane plan to repay their debts. Why? “Because no one thinks we have the balls to pull this off,” Davis declares. Woe betide any man who would underestimate Viola Davis!
Theres lots of juicy amateurs-transforming-into-criminal-masterminds footage in the trailer. Davis and her fellow widows go to a shooting range, hit punching bags, try on tactical gear, and hold secret meetings in mysterious warehouses (is there a better supporting player in a gangster movie than an abandoned warehouse?). The trailer also comes at just the right moment: its perfectly on trend with a handful of other recent female-based revenge films, from Jennifer Garners upcoming Peppermint (in which the chicken aficionado plays a mom who becomes an assassin after her husband and daughter are murdered) to Gabrielle Unions Breaking In (where Union plays a mother who has to rescue her kids after thieves break into their house). Then theres also Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddishs upcoming thriller The Kitchen, about mob wives who take over criminal duties after their husbands are sent to prison. Evidently, the violent matriarchy is alive and well.
Widows also stars some men, if youre into that sort of thing. Liam Neeson plays Daviss crooked husband; Colin Farrell plays a detective of sorts; Daniel Kaluuya and Brian Tyree Henry are a pair of villainous foils, taunting Davis and her band of widows at every turn. Seems like a bad idea, but well see if they learn their lesson when the film comes out on Nov. 16.
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Yohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
