"Widows"

Anyone of a certain age, me included, will be more than fully aware of the ITV series that this film is based upon. It aired in the early 1980's and had two follow up series. The events of this new film version are based on that first ground-breaking series.

Harry Rawlins is a tough as nails criminal. He and his gang carry out jobs and they and their families reap the financial rewards, though their families may not be fully aware of how their lavish lifestyles are maintained. Being old school, Harry keeps a journal of each of the jobs he has carried out, not the best of ideas, especially should the Authorities get their hands on it. Mind you it all becomes irrelevant anyway, when Harry and his team are killed in a shoot-out with the Police when carrying their latest job.

The remaining widows form an alliance, this they have to do as a Politician was the target of Harry's Gang, and the money they stole was part of his Campaign funding, and understandably he wants it back, leaving Harry's widow 1 month to pay the $2 million he is owed.
So she gets the widows together to carry out the next job in Harry's journal to clear them of any debt towards the Politician, and also have enough left over to start a new life.

Anyone who has not seen the original series will no doubt really enjoy this reimagining of Lynda La Plante's material. But I felt it did little to bring anything fresh to the Screen. The advantage of the original is that as it was a series, it had far more screen time to fill out the characters. This could have been done with the film had it not looked at the Political side of things, that whole subplot was totally unnecessary.
The cast are all good, with Viola Davis on great form as Harry's widow Veronica, and also worthy of mention is Cynthia Enrivo as 'Belle'.  The likes of Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson and Robert Duvall just seem to go through their paces.

Will there be any eagle eyed viewers out there who spot a wonderful cameo?

Ok but not a patch on a series that is over 35 years old and still packs a punch....5 out of 10

"12 Years A Slave"

Solomon Northup was black but most definitely a free man, even in a time when slavery was rife throughout America, and many other countries. He was also living a very comortable life, his wife and children by his side in their lovely home.
The family take a brief trip away leaving Solomon on his own for a short while. His skills with the fiddle come to attention of some  Circus owners. They persuade Solomon, who is at a loose end, that he while away his time doing what he loves and also be paid for it.
Unfortunately, the said gentlemen have other ideas, and after wining and dining him one night, the following morning he finds himself in chains and no longer a free man. Sold into slavery his ordeal begins.......


What is at the heart of this film is a truly extraordinary story, and a true one at that. Of man who refuses to be broken by the circumstances that surround him, who remains strong in his knowledge that he is a free man,  at times knowing when he must speak out for the wrong that he sees, even when it dearly costs him, and also knowing when to stay silent. Always firm in the belief that he will again hopefully walk the Earth as a free man.
And central to this story is a quite remarkable performance by lead actor Chiwetel Ejifor. He conveys the bravery, the wisdom and the humanity of Northup in a career defining performance, and in any other year would be the front runner for Best Actor at the forthcoming Academy Awards. I do fear he will be beaten by Matthew McConaughey.
There is very strong support from the rest of the cast too. Evil can come in many forms, and in this film it is no better shown than by the performances of Paul Dano, Michael Fassbender and especially Sarah Paulson, who is positively sickening scary at times. How any lady of society could act the way she does is quite something.
With evil comes goodness, and that is personified in a great performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, one who clearly has Northup's interests at heart, and although can do nothing about his freedom, can certainly do the best to make him comfortable.

Northup shares his plight with Patsey, a plucky young girl, who carries favour with Epps, the sadistic landowner played by Fassbender. But she too suffers tremendously, in one particular scene we see first hand the pain and suffering of a good whipping, and it is not for the faint hearted. In a first time major film performance Nyong'O gives a truly remarkable turn as 'Patsey', one that you will not forget.

Yes it is a film that has to be seen, and has praise heaped upon it from the highest height, may only gripe is that there is no sense of the length of time that Northup was in slavery for, and given the lengthy amount of time involved, it was something that I felt should have been conveyed. Maybe I am being too picky.

Will it win Best Picture at The Academy Awards?  Almost certainly. Should it?  Yes, but for me personally it should be "Gravity"...........8 out of 10