The Widower Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Widower Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 31, 2015

“The Widower” is a limited ITV series (spread out over three episodes) based on the case of Malcolm Webster, who orchestrated a murder and prolonged embezzlement schemes while living a seemingly average life as a nurse and loving husband/boyfriend to various women. It’s true crime without salacious details, electing to charge ahead with a sense of the macabre, capturing prolonged insanity and bizarre turns of crime and punishment with wonderful performances and a sure pace.

While Webster’s private reign of terror drives the plot of “The Widower,” it’s the behavioral business that demands the most attention. Through Reece Shearsmith’s outstanding lead performance, the details of Webster’s wicked ways come through with stunning clarity, studying the man’s intent to kill off loved ones (including Archie Panjabi) while organizing boldly obvious schemes of monetary theft, exposing his illness to an increasingly suspicious community. There’s even an element of pyromania festering within the monster. However, Shearsmith doesn’t play obvious beats of disease, keeping Webster a charmer with a sure handle on vulnerability, making his unions understandable. It’s sharp work, compelling and sinister, carried along by the writing, which manages escalation and the presence of DS Henry (John Hannah), who slowly builds a case against the ghoul.

The Widower Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation falls in line with other quality PBS releases, finding the viewing experience bathed in natural light, which registers accurately here. Delineation has its trouble spots during evening encounters, but this is primarily a bright effort with a welcome command of detail, delivering proper facial textures and fibrous costuming. Colors are moody but true, handling greenery and locations with varied hues, while skintones are secure. Slight banding is detected, but this is a rare occurrence.

The Widower Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers a standard television listening event, but it finds an encouraging position of authority when suspense heats up. Dialogue exchanges are crisp and clean, preserving dramatic extremes and clarifying accents. Scoring is supportive and respectful, surging into the soundscape when moments demands emphasis. Atmospherics are defined, delivering proper group activity and environmental changes, and acts of violence come through with a heavier punch.

The Widower Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

The Widower Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Widower" doesn't tear off into hysterics, remaining calm and clear with Webster as he orchestrates strange events to feed his ego, slowly losing himself to a narrative of self-control he's created in his mind. The show hits all the sweet spots of discomfort and betrayal, but it also balances the encroaching presence of justice, keeping law enforcement active in the series, but not a priority. "The Widower" is creepy and mercifully concise, providing a rich psychological understanding of evil while tending to all the desperate acts and painful accusations the genre is known for.