Review #1,446: 'Widows' (2018)

When 12 Years a Slave took home the Best Picture Academy Award back in 2013, many of us expected director Steve McQueen to go even bigger and more ambitious with his next project. After all, his previous films Hunger and Shame were hardly lacking in scope and weight. It's taken five years to finally arrive, but McQueen's new film Widows, adapted from the 1983 ITV drama series of the same name, takes his work into a whole new territory: the genre movie. Yes, Widows seemingly follows the traditions of the great heist movies of old, with Michael Mann's Thief and Heat coming immediately to mind, taking a crack team and handing them a near-impossible task which they must plan with expert precision if they ever hope to pull it off. It would seem that, on paper at least, McQueen has taken it down a notch, but by taking on such a familiar story, the writer/director has given himself an even greater task.

Widows opens with the immediate aftermath of a heist gone awry. We watch from inside a speeding van as the wounded gang make their getaway, with their gun-toting victims and the police giving chase. The twist is that they all perish in a warehouse explosion, with the stolen $2 million going up in flames with them. The gang's widows are the ones left feeling the aftershocks: not only are they left grieving for their husbands, but the guy they stole from - alderman campaigner and community leader Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) - wants his money back. Veronica (Viola Davis) takes the reigns when she finds her husband's notebook, which contains a detailed plan for a heist worth $5 million. Two of the other widows - Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) and Linda (Michelle Rodrgiguez) - have their own financial problems, so they agree to take on the job when Veronica comes a-knocking. They really have no choice. It's either find the money, or Jamal's psychopathic brother Jatemme (a frightening Daniel Kaluuya) will kill them and take everything they own anyway.

McQueen's task here is to deconstruct a slice of popcorn cinema and add the kind of punch and social commentary that made his previous work so great. He does so effortlessly, carefully developing each of the leads and making their story believable, later drafting in a fourth member in the form of Belle (Cynthia Erivo), a single mother working multiple jobs to pay the rent. McQueen and co-writer Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) keep the action fast-paced and brutal, so the 130-minute running time breezes by. If there's a complaint to be had, it's that the film is too short and often feels crammed with too many characters and side-stories. Thrown into the mix is Jamal's campaign opposition Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell), who has had past dealings with Veronica's husband Harry (Liam Neeson) but has come to the realisation that the political manoeuvring of his elderly father (Robert Duvall) is no longer feasible. Like the series it was based on, Widows may have worked better unravelling over the course of a few episodes. But this may have prevented McQueen from reminding us why he is one of the most important directors working today, as he takes the time to deliver a jaw-dropping shot from the side of a car that shows how quickly a city landscape can shift from dire poverty to luxurious wealth, and a run-in with some trigger-happy police that will remain with you long after the credits have rolled.


Directed by: Steve McQueen
Starring: Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Liam Neeson, Carrie Coon
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,221: 'Fast & Furious 8' (2017)

By the time Paul Walker bailed and Vin Diesel only bothered to show up for a wink-and-a-smile cameo back in 2003 with the third instalment in the Fast & Furious franchise, Tokyo Drift, it seemed like the series started by Rob Cohen in 2001 as an entertaining Point Break rip-off was done and dusted. 14 years later, the eighth entry sits happily as the eleventh highest-grossing movie of all time, raking in a whopping $1.2 billion at the box-office. Having evolved from low-key crime thrillers with a street-racing twist to all-out, physics-defying spy adventure blockbusters, audiences are clearly not done with Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his street-hood 'family'. The film's alternate title of The Fate of the Furious - keeping up with the series' trend of frustratingly difficult-to-follow title meddling - suggests that this may be the most ridiculous, balls-to-the-wall spectacle yet, and it certainly lives up to its billing.

Ever since previous fan favourites were cherry-picked to inexplicably form the gang of ass-kickers-for-hire the movies are now built around, the cast has rapidly expanded and individuals have been reduced to little more than the odd one-liner. When Dwayne Johnson's oiled man-mountain Hobbs was introduced to add some spice and charisma to a stagnant series, Vin Diesel found himself in the awkward position of hogging screen-time from an actor everyone would rather be seeing. This is very much Diesel's product and he takes things very seriously, so Fast & Furious 8 sees the two split up into two very tonally different story lines, in a move that may have been made to satisfy the needs of both actors, or to simply keep the two away from each other. Johnson made comments on social media criticising a certain cast member's behaviour, in a thinly-disguised jab at Diesel. The tension isn't evident in the final movie, but it does mean you're likely to spend half the time wishing you were with the former wrestler, especially when he teams up with the returning Jason Statham.

Dom growls and mumbles before turning his back on the gang when his honeymoon with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is rudely interrupted by a hacker known as Cipher (Charlize Theron), who blackmails the big lug into stealing an EMP device. Enter exposition device Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) and, for some reason, his partner played by Scott Eastwood, who round up the former car-jackers and criminals to steal it back before chaos is unleashed. And so the two stories unfold: One a moody drama that often turns quite violent, and the weirdly erotically-charged, but nevertheless amusing, penis-comparing adventures of Johnson and Statham. When you're watching a movie in which a submarine is 'jacked', it's clear that the mood of the latter better suits the franchise. Diesel's brooding and Theron's phoning-in don't make for particularly entertaining viewing, especially when it follows a scene of hacked autonomous CGI cars swarming through the city streets like a hoard of fast-moving zombies.

Characters seem to fill every inch of the screen, and it was a struggle to remember just what roles returning actors Elsa Pataky, Luke Evans and Djimon Honsou had played previously, although anoraks will have no trouble. To say it is a convoluted mess driven by a McGuffin would be an understatement, and it could be argued that this plot has been done before a few films ago. Nevertheless Fast & Furious 8 delivers when it fires up the nitrous oxide. While there's nothing to match Hobbs' Gatling-gun rampage in part 7, there is a punchy prison breakout scene, Tyrese Gibson ice-skating on a car door, and the aforementioned submarine. You came here for fast cars, and they are worked into the story whether it makes logical sense or not. If only Diesel would lighten up and not take a series built on fun so damn seriously, this could have been so much better. Fingers crossed for the Johnson/Statham spin-off though.


Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Starring: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Nathalie Emmanuel
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #902: 'Fast & Furious 7' (2015)

Pieced back together in the wake of Paul Walker's tragic death in an automobile accident in 2013, the seventh instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise comes with a morbid sense of curiosity. Just how much of the original movie remains, and how will long-serving series advocate Vin Diesel and newcomer director James Wan deal with the fate of Walker's character Brian O'Connor? Thankfully, anyone trying to spot the CGI trickery and attempting to tell Walker from either of his stand-in real-life brothers will be disappointed (although there are some questionable camera angles), and the climactic send-off could not have been more moving.

Fast & Furious 7's (or simply Furious 7 given its alternate title) problems lie elsewhere. Whether it be the cast, the running time, the plot, or the sheer amount of carnage played out on screen, the movie is as bloated as Dwayne Johnson's neck. We have finally caught up to the events of the third instalment, Tokyo Drift (2003), and the gang of loveable ex-cons, ex-cops and gear-heads are drawn out of retirement by the extremely pissed British special forces assassin Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), who happens to be the older brother of the baddie from the sixth film Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) and is hell-bent on revenge. Sadly, as a straight-forward revenge story is no longer enough to satisfy the masses, Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his crew are also tasked by a shady government agent dubbed Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) to track down God's Eye, an omniscient piece of spy software.

The franchise is now so removed from its original premise of an undercover cop trying to bust a gang of hijackers, that the sight of Dwayne Johnson's oiled and impossibly ripped cop Hobbs firing a huge Gatling gun at a helicopter in the streets during the film's climax will come as no surprise. Characters have died and come back to life, and now display martial arts skills so refined that they can take down the likes of Rhonda Rousey and Tony Jaa in a fist-fight. They are now superheroes, capable of cracking their necks and shaking off a wrench-blow to the head. The preposterousness of it all means that the film-makers are now simply looking to make things bigger than they were last time rather than taking the time of building tension or making things coherent.

So, only two set-pieces really get the adrenaline going - one involving Brian escaping from a coach dangling over the edge of a cliff, and the face-off between the bald pit-bulls Diesel and Statham, as the two go at each other with bits of car wreckage. The film is at its best in it's quieter moments, where comedy-relief characters Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) squabble over the attentions of super-hacker Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), and Dom and his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), still suffering from amnesia, try to piece together their relationship (though Dom ramming the idea of family being the most important thing down our throats is getting a bit old). Despite it's gaping flaws, there's still something oddly addictive about this series and I'm eager to see if even more sequels will come. and the loving tribute to Walker at the end will bring a tear to the eye of even the most hardened petrol head.


Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Dwayne Johnson, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel
Country: USA/Japan

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #832: 'Fast & Furious 6' (2013)

There was once a time when this franchise retained a shred of realism. At the climax of the first film, The Fast and the Furious (2001), there is a moment in which a character must make a life-or-death leap from a moving truck into a moving car, both travelling at super-high speed along a straight road. Following the series' and its characters transition from loveable rogue criminals who dabbled in robberies and drag racing, into a super-group of international ass-kicking Robin Hood types, such distractions as the laws of physics are no longer an issue. Yes, this is the daftest entry yet, but the series shows no signs of fatigue, and, judging by the ever-increasing box office receipts, it won't be throwing in the towel any time soon.

After reaping the rewards of their multi-million dollar heist in the previous film, Fast Five (2011), the Fast & Furious gang are scattered and enjoying living the high life. Dom (Vin Diesel) is shacked up with Elena (Elsa Pataky), and Brian (Paul Walker) has seen the birth of his son Jack with Mia (Jordana Brewster). Han (Sung Kang) is in Hong Kong with Gisele (Gal Gadot), and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Taj (Ludacris) are indulging in a life of private plans, expensive suits, and an entourage of babes. However, their retirement is interrupted by the arrival of D.S.S. agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who brings Dom the shocking news that we were teased with in the post-credits scene of the fifth movie.

Dom's former girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), believed to have been murdered in the fourth movie, Fast & Furious (2009), is in fact alive and kicking, and working with international terrorist Shaw (Luke Evans), a Brit whose criminal philosophies come into direct contrast with that of Dom's. To Shaw, his team are little more than moveable pieces to be manipulated and sacrificed for his own gain, while Dom believes in the sanctity of 'family'. After a thrilling set-piece involving Shaw escaping in a custom-made racing car through the streets of London (clearly the film-makers have never seen the traffic in the capital), Dom comes across Letty for the first time, who in return shoots Dom without blinking. It appears amnesia is to blame.

You have to hand it to long-serving franchise helmer Justin Lin, who is given the task of increasing the ante with every film, and always having to involve cars. And what better road vehicle to employ to increase the carnage than a tank? We get that and a plane, in what feels like the longest runway take-off ever seen on screen. As long as the plane is still on the ground, it doesn't stand a chance against Dom and co. With their evolution from petty criminals into fully-fledged heroes comes an inexplicable ability for hand-to-hand fighting. We get Letty take on series newcomer Riley (Gina Carano from 2011's Haywire) with roundhouse kicks and wrestling moves, and a slow-motion leaping headbutt from Diesel in what proves the film's giddiest, must ludicrous moment. And with the series finally catching up to the events seen in Tokyo Drift (2006), we are offered a glimpse at the next film's antagonist, which, I'm rather ashamed to say, is an exciting moment indeed.


Directed by: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Ludacris, Luke Evans, Gina Carano, Elsa Pataky
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #826: 'Fast & Furious' (2009)

After the massive disappointment of the two sequels to 2001's dumb but entertaining The Fast and The Furious, the franchise got itself back on track by grounding itself (I use that term loosely) and bringing back the original quarter of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. Tokyo Drift (2006) was mind-dumbingly dull, but the action scenes were more impressive than what came before and it teased fans of the series by bringing back Diesel for a last-minute cameo. Director Justin Lin is at the helm once again, and this fourth instalment is the best yet (at this point in the series).

Five years after fleeing Los Angeles, Dominic Toretto (Diesel) is up to his old tricks in the Dominican Republic with girlfriend Letty (Rodriguez) and Tokyo Drift's Han (Sung Kang). Sensing his presence in his new gang will only bring the law down upon them, Toretto flees to Panama, leaving Letty behind. A few months later, Toretto is brought back to America by an incident I cannot reveal with being spoilerific. He starts his own investigation, which leads him to a man named David Park (Ron Yuan). Meanwhile, F.B.I. agent Brian O'Conner (Walker) is also investigating Park, and all trails seem to lead to a mysterious drug lord named Arturo Braga.

Though the movie begins with a rather ridiculous action scene that brought flashbacks of the terrible xXx (2002), things settle down as an actual plot - the first of the series? - develops. It's simple but effective, and everything from the cinematography to the script feels cleaner and more mature. More focus is granted for the characters, and although they're relatively stoic and wafer-thin, it's nice to see them exchange words in a room rather than shouting at each other over the noise of an engine. Fans of the franchise need not to worry though, as Fast & Furious, which is in danger of being the most unimaginative title to a sequel ever, offers plenty of motor-porn, scantily-clad women and a pumping soundtrack.

Which is where the movie ultimately suffers. Although Justin Lin dims the sheen of street racing and shoots the obligatory gyrating lady parts with a less perverted and exploitative eye, the main crux of the plot still surrounds drug smuggling, a lazy McGuffin and a recycled excuse to get Brian and Toretto behind the wheel again. The action on the whole is exciting, especially the high-speed rush through an underground tunnel that crosses the Mexican-American border, and Lin manages to avoid getting lost in the mayhem. It will never be a work of high art, but there's enough here to reignite my passing interest in this glossy but fun series.


Directed by: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz
Country: USA/Japan

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #813: 'The Fast and the Furious' (2001)

Never in a million years would I, sitting in the cinema (with my mum and stepfather, oddly enough) back in 2001, think that the auto-porn I had just witnessed would kick-start a hugely successful franchise due it's seventh instalment next year in 2015. Not that I didn't enjoy the 90 minutes of homoerotic machismo, endless gear-stick changes, scantily-clad gyrators and a cameo by Ja Rule - I actually found it highly entertaining in a Point Break (1991) sort-of-way - it's just that how much of an audience can a film about cars draw? Lots, it would seem.

Undercover L.A.P.D. officer Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) is assigned to infiltrate a gang of street-racers led by the notorious Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) after a series of high-speed truck hijackings using pimped-out Honda Civics. A highly competent driver himself, Brian uses his skills to befriend Dominic, while falling for his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster). After saving Dominic from the police, Brian earns his respect but not that of his crew, and when Dominic proves himself generous and loyal to those who offer him the same, Brian must choose between protecting his new friend and arresting the criminal he has been assigned to bring down.

The Fast and the Furious' script is often bad enough to make your ears bleed. This is a film where words of wisdom are offered in the form of "it's not how you stand by your car, it's how you race your car,". But it's delivers on what the title promises, and the action scenes are well-staged and it's nice to see real metal bend and break in an increasingly CGI-reliant marketplace. It's loud and often crude, but the two leads of obvious limited acting range prove likeable and actually generate some chemistry. It's difficult to say where the franchise will go after the sad death of Paul Walker last year, but this first instalment was a fun, if brainless, start.


Directed by: Rob Cohen
Starring: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ted Levine
Country: USA/Germany

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie