The pulse-pounding all-star remake of an altogether more quaint original that had already been remade pays its debts on Netflix

Normally, remaking a remake would open the doors to accusations of creative bankruptcy and the needless repurposing of content, but 2018’s pulse-pounding crime thriller Widows blew any doubts out of the water when it arrived to a rapturous reception from critics and audience alike.

It may not have been a runaway hit at the box office, but anybody who did shell out a ticket to see it on the big screen got their money’s worth and then some. Of course, that was the least to be expected given the quite frankly preposterous array of talent recruited to work their magic on either side of the camera.

Steve McQueen – director of Best Picture-winning 12 Years a Slave – was calling the shots on a screenplay penned by Oscar-nominated Gone Girl author-turned-scribe Gillian Flynn, while the cast was at bursting point thanks to the presence of Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Cynthia Erivo, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Robert Duvall, Jon Bernthal, and even more.

The 1983 British TV series that served as the inspiration was an entirely more subdued affair, while the 2002 miniseries that aired on ABC has been almost completely forgotten, leading to the third version of Widows to stand tall as the finest. Netflix subscribers would appear to agree, too, seeing as the phenomenal heist caper has returned to the streaming service’s worldwide watch-list, per FlixPatrol.

Sometimes, it really is as simple as gathering the best and brightest in the business, dropping them into a riveting narrative, and sitting back to let the sparks fly of their own accord.