DIRECTOR: Gina Prince-Bythewood
CAST: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Adrienne Warren, Jayme Lawson, Masali Baduza, Angélique Kidjo, Jimmy Odukoya, Thando Dlomo, Jordan Bolger, Zozibini Tunzi, Makgotso M, Siv Ngesi
RUNNING TIME: 126 mins
CERTIFICATE: 15
BASICALLY…: In 19th century Africa, a general (Davis) trains a new generation of kingdom-defending warriors…
NOW FOR THE REVIEW…
Viola Davis has truly become one of those actors who never ever gives a less than average performance. Whether she’s playing heartbroken housewives or iconic First Ladies, or even acting opposite a humanoid crocodile man in a DC movie, she always gives a turn that feels like she’s out to win every award in the land. Her status as not just a great actor, but also a genuine force for change in the way Hollywood treats Black performers both on and off the screen, has made people all the more excited for what she does with The Woman King, a long in-development historical action epic that gives her an incredibly meaty lead role to work with.
Needless to say, she is absolutely fantastic in director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film, but the positives do no end with just her, for the rest of The Woman King is pretty damn awesome as well, in that old-fashioned Hollywood epic kind of way.
Set in West Africa during the 1820s, Davis plays General Nanisca, the fearless leader of an all-female tribe of warriors known as the Agojie, who have sworn to protect the kingdom of Dahomey from nefarious forces, from brutish neighbouring kingdoms to European slave traders. Serving under King Ghezo (John Boyega), Nanisca and her army train a new generation of fighters – including young recruit Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) – to take on their fierce opposers, but when Nanisca’s bleak past unexpectedly catches up with her, she must find the courage to do what is right for her kingdom, her sisters in arms, and ultimately herself.
Luckily for the audience, this involves a lot of killing a bunch of enemies, whether it’s slicing their necks open with the swiftest of wrist movements, or gouging their eyes out with lengthened, sharpened fingernails. It’s a fierce, intense, and surprisingly cathartic display of action-based violence, which Prince-Bythewood handles gracefully through some intricately executed fight choreography that is never not impressive, set to some stunning cinematography that captures the raw beauty of the African plains. In every major battle sequence, you feel the raw energy pulsating through these soldiers as they lay everything they’ve got into their enemies, and it’s invigorating to watch because not only is the filmmaking so on point, but you really do feel a genuine attachment to them through some strong writing that gives these characters greater emotional depth than a lesser big-budgeted movie like this would allow. Davis has some dramatic monologues here where you are just on a rollercoaster of emotions as you find out more about some pretty horrific stuff her character has been through, while on the other end you have supporting characters such as Lashana Lynch’s Izogie who have enough charismatic moments to where you really are rooting for them, even as they’re engaging in some brutal fight sequences where you’re never sure who’s going to live another day and who isn’t.
Structurally, the closest comparison for many is going to be not Black Panther (whose own all-female tribe of Dora Milaje was inspired by the real Agojie depicted here), but more accurately Braveheart, since both it and The Woman King take fictionalised approaches to real-life figures and events, amp up the action and drama to classic Hollywood levels, and feel genuinely epic in their scope and ambition. Unlike Braveheart, though, The Woman King is a historical epic that you can foresee surviving the inevitable discourse over its historical inaccuracies – while the kingdom of Dahomey and its Agojie army did in fact exist, many of the characters and scenarios are purely fictional – and have the kind of lasting power to where generations of audiences can latch onto it as both a taste of actual historical legacy, and also as a genuinely entertaining and engaging film. It’d be hard for it not to receive this fate, especially with how awesome Viola Davis is here, and if nothing else this movie confirms her to be one of today’s most committed and respected actors even more than she already had been.
She alone makes The Woman King a worthy recommendation, but you’ll still be getting a pretty regal film beyond that as well.
SO, TO SUM UP…
The Woman King is an awesome historical epic that harkens back to the classical Hollywood era, complete with stunning filmmaking that includes some visceral and fierce fight choreography, and engaging performances led by a majestic Viola Davis that lend humanity to the brutality.
