A lot of factors work into the making of a movie. From the director, screenwriter(s), casting, cinematography, editing, and sound design, some movies are simply poised for perfection based on a combination of any of those factors. Take Widows, for example; a crime thriller directed by Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and written by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) sounds like a recipe for instant success. So how does it all stack up?

The story, loosely based on the British television show of the same name, is centered on three women: Veronica (The Help's Viola Davis); Linda (Michelle Rodriguez of Avatar); and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki, The Great Gatsby). When their husbands are killed in a police shootout after a heist goes south, three women who are strangers to one another become a team to pick up the pieces and finish the dangerous job that their husbands started.

With such a straightforward and determined premise, it's hard to see where or how this movie could go wrong. And while it does indeed live up to expectations (at least the ones I had for it), it's not a perfect movie. The pacing is probably the biggest source of contention, bearing its strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, this isn't a typical heist thriller that's focused solely on the action. It's a more realistically-paced suspense picture that smartly touches on every aspect of planning the heist: acquiring a getaway vehicle, purchasing guns, learning how to fire them, etc. It's easy to get sucked into a briskly-shot thriller like Run Lola Run, by comparison (one of my favorite movies, by the way) and feel out-of-breath by the end of every scene, but it's a different experience to see all of the work that goes into the action.

At the same time, however, it does tend to drag a little. I found out after leaving the film that it was based on a television series, which definitely makes sense. The plot structure of a sixteen-episode season certainly operates differently than that of a two-hour film, and there are certainly moments where the story paces itself like a show, taking its time to let the tension build. This is a problem that dissipates the deeper you fall into the characters' conflict, because each new step that might feel a bit drawn out peels back a new layer of danger. Honestly, the realistic approach was a surprise to me at first, but again, it improves gradually as the tension thickens. However, if you're expecting a thrill-a-minute spectacle, you're likely to be disappointed.

The tone and level of R-rated content is another aspect that may be divisive among viewers. The script earns its rating on the merit of its language alone, and to add to that, the tone and atmosphere is remarkably steadfast on being dour and grimly realistic. Because of this, I can't really recommend this film to everyone (definitely not a movie to plan a church trip to go see). But if you know your limits and think this sounds good to you, I say have fun with it.

One area of the film that is consistently without error is the acting. In addition to the strong cast of smart and efficient leading ladies, McQueen employs a whole supporting cast of impressive talent, including Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall (one of the all-time best), Liam Neeson, and Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya.

Everyone is as great as they usually are, but it's Davis who steals the show, commanding the film like a woman behind the wheel of a steamroller. You never doubt the emotional turmoil that she's storing, but due to the urgency of her situation, she simply doesn't have time to grieve. Instead, she channels her pain into deliberately coordinating the most ambitious thing she's likely ever done, and you'd be smart to stay clear out of her way.

The only performer who exceeds Davis in terms of intimidation is Kaluuya, who constantly wears a deadpan expression that is downright terrifying. Even while he performs callous and horrific deeds, his face is locked in an expression of "unimpressed," and the sensation of being captivated by one of his scenes isn't too unlike the effect that Michael Myers has on the viewers of Halloween; what makes Myers scary visually is the blank, remorseless tone of his stark-white mask. Except here, the mask is simply Kaluuya's face. It's a great example of subtle acting taken to its fullest potential, and although his role is a minor one, he's one of the first faces I remember.

While I wasn't over the moon for Widows when I first saw it (a week ago as I write this review), its qualities have definitely flourished the more it's stayed with me. Though the aggressive tone may turn off some viewers, and the pacing can drag a little, it's hard not to admire the film's steadfast and realistic approach to putting a twist on the heist genre. McQueen knows that in order to build such elevated tension for so long, you need to know how to deliver a satisfying payoff, and the final act of the film is nothing short of satisfying. While the script is far from being in bad shape, it's undoubtedly the acting that glues it all together, and is the first thing I think of when I think of why I like this movie. Widows will be released in theaters on November 16, and I strongly plan on seeing it again. Until then, I give Widows three and a half out of four stars.