The Woman King
Composite Score: 82.23
Starring: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Jordan Bolger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jimmy Odukoya, and Jayme Lawson
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Writers: Dana Stevens and Maria Bello
Genres: Action, Drama, History
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing material, thematic content, brief language, and partial nudity
Box Office: $92.43 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Woman King is a film inspired by the story of the Kingdom of Dahomey in Africa under the rule of King Ghezo in the mid-1800s. The film follows the Agojie, the all-female fighting force of Dahomey who served as the king’s guard, and specifically their leader Nanisca (Viola Davis) and a newcomer to the force, Nawi (Thuso Mbedu). The film also features Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim as officers within the Agojie and John Boyega as King Ghezo. At its heart, the film is a classic action film, centered around the Dahomey decision to abandon the slave trade in favor of palm oil and their ongoing conflict with the declining rival Oyo Empire. The action set pieces are excellently executed, and the film benefits from strong leading performances and a poignant anti-colonial message to go along as well. It’s a solid outing for all involved.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Because it is an action film, built around set pieces, the film’s story sometimes feels a bit more formulaic than some of the other “greats”, hitting familiar and predictable story beats and plot twists that you’d expect to find in an action flick. There’s the training montage capped off with the final test where the young newcomer gets to prove herself. There’s the surprise family relationship that feels actually fairly choreographed in hindsight. There’s a fairly one-note villain with ties to both heroes’ backstories, leaving personal scores to settle. There’s important side characters who die dramatic and emotional deaths. There’s a dilemma about leaving soldiers behind or going to rescue them. It’s all there. Formula doesn’t inherently mean the film is bad, it just means that the plot is not really the elevating piece of the film.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The Woman King is a well-made film. The production design is incredibly high, capturing the look and feel of a 19th century African kingdom through great sets, art, costuming, and hairstyling. It feels like a film that has been well-researched with aesthetically pleasing and appropriate sets and costumes in every scene. It never tries to reach larger than its scale, but it doesn’t shrink from showing a more unique take on the historical genre of film. Are there a few European colonial looks? Certainly, but the predominant theming is 1800s coastal West African kingdoms, specifically Dahomey. Were it not for the dominance of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in that department, I think that this film would have drawn more attention for its technical details (and probably should have anyway).
Additionally, the film’s primary cast give quality performances that elevate the film’s simple, action-centric narrative. Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim act as excellent supporting characters to the leading ladies. Lynch provides the strong, cool mentor for Mbedu’s Nawi, while Atim acts as the spiritual and grounded confidante to Davis’s Nanisca. John Boyega exudes charisma in his role as the King of Dahomey, Ghezo. It’s a fairly simple performance that could easily have fallen to the background, but Boyega brings so much energy to the character that you can’t help but be drawn to the king in all of his scenes. Thuso Mbedu holds her own as the young protagonist of the film, Nawi, bringing a blend of passion and emotion to the role that invites the audience along on her journey, just as the filmmakers intended, never getting lost among the larger and more recognizable stars. Obviously, Viola Davis delivers a phenomenal performance, but this is a more reserved role than some of her more noteworthy performances (i.e., no crying with snot running down her face in this one). She steps into the role of grizzled action hero so well that I’m honestly disappointed that we haven’t gotten more films like this from her. You can’t look away in either the fast-paced moments of combat that she engages in or in the soft moments of character development where she explores her relationship with the women under her charge and the larger world as a whole. It’s a solid performance that anchors the whole film in its implicit titular character.
A cast that gives dedicated lead and supporting performances and some excellent technical work in bringing its setting to life make The Woman King a film worthy of a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. Its formulaic action nature might turn off fans looking for a more cerebral exploration of history, but there’s no denying the sheer amount of enjoyment that the film brings as you watch it. It is currently streaming on Netflix if you’re looking for a solid evening action flick that isn’t just another superhero film.
