Widows Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

5. Steve McQueen's Incredible Direction

Steve McQueen is an extremely interesting choice to direct a movie like this, given the more patient, slow-moving and deliberate nature of his previous movies Hunger, Shame and 12 Years A Slave.

McQueen certainly rises to the challenge, though, bringing his art-house flair to a familiar premise and creating a number of memorable compositions sure to stick with viewers.

Surely McQueen's strongest work in the movie involves a scene in which politician Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) gets into his chauffeur-driven car with his assistant and goes on an extended rant about his failing campaign.

The entire scene, which goes on for several minutes, is shot in one continuous take with the camera mounted to the car as it drives around, forcing the viewer to focus on the city surroundings while simply hearing Farrell's voice. It's a fairly straight-forward flourish all things considered, but splendid in its own way.

Though McQueen is to an extent at the mercy of the material's demands, it's hard to imagine few being anything but impressed with what he brings to the table here.