Released: September 2022
Rated R
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Run Time: 135 Minutes
Distributor: Sony/TriStar Entertainment
Genre: Drama/Historical
Cast:
Viola Davis: Nanisca
Thuso Mbedu: Nawi
Lashana Lynch: Izogie
Sheila Atim: Amenza
John Boyega: King Ghezo
Hero Fiennes Tiffin: Santo Ferreira
Jimmy Odukuya: Oba Ade
You know what I love about history? It always surprises me. It’s a goldmine for story-telling, especially on the big screen. Over the course of thousands of years, there are so many stories that have yet to be discovered by the general audience. There are great historical films out there, and not some great ones. In my opinion, the best history-based movies are ones that try to be honest about the story they’re telling. I used to be a huge fan of the movie Braveheart, until I started actually reading about William Wallace. The movie got so much wrong, it’s not even funny. Yet, a movie like Gladiator is still a great movie, even though it’s largely fiction. To me, I guess the issue is one of authenticity rather than accuracy. If a movie can be accurate, authentic, and engaging at the same time, that’s the best of all worlds, but the conundrum is how to keep an audience glued to the screen. Accuracy becomes even more of an issue the further back in time you go, so you have to take liberties to make sure that the story is engaging. If film-makers can get the period right with the dates, outfits, and the world surrounding the event or character, then the film-makers can work their magic from there. The historical epic that I bring you today is The Woman King.
The Woman King takes place during the 19th century in the West African kingdom of Dahomey. The film opens as Nanisca and her army of all-female warriors called Agojie take down a camp of slavers and rescuing the prisoners. King Ghezo has been part of the international slave trade, but Nanisca is having issues with selling slaves to help her kingdom prosper. But she has an encounter with an opposing tribal leader, Oba Ade, who is openly attacking villages for slaves. Oba Ade is a figure from her past that did something terrible. A new recruit to the Agojie, Nawi, is also making waves. The story of the Agojie is one that I had never heard of before. When the trailer for this movie came out, I got really interested. A movie about an all-female soldier unit? Why not? There have been a lot interpretations over the years. In fact, Black Panther modeled the Dora Milaje women after the Agojie. There has been some backlash to the film about its accuracy and how it deals or DOESN’T deal with slavery. Well, those people must not have watched the movie, because there’s clearly a focus on trying to eliminate slavery as a source of income for Dahomey. In fact, the anti-slavery thing is all over this movie. I know some people are sticklers for historical detail, but as I said above, you also want to get the audience engaged in the story, so some liberties needed to be taken. I’m actually okay with that, because the story in this film is absolutely phenomenal. While it does fall into the typical third-act finale that you get from these kinds of movies, the character and world-building are outstanding. I really enjoyed the story here.
I’ve seen some really strong performances over the years, but there’s something truly special about The Woman King. Viola Davis is simply magnetic as Nanisca, showing indominable strength and a degree of vulnerability at times. Ms. Davis is one of the best actresses on the planet right now. Not only can she handle the dramatic and emotional moments with grace, she can handle herself physically as well. She throws everything that she’s got into this. Lashana Lynch is her second-in-command, Izogie, and she’s just as good. While I don’t think Ms. Lynch got enough to do in No Time to Die, she’s AMAZING here. But the real standout is Thuso Mbedu as Nawi. She’s a fierce young woman who not only butts heads with Nanisca and Izogie, but her story is equally compelling. I think Thuso has an amazing career ahead of her. John Boyega plays King Ghezo with a nobility and grace that surprised me. While Star Wars give Boyega a serious boost in terms of star power, he’s been making his own way up the ladder with movies like Detroit. Regardless of how you might feel about the rest of the movie, you can’t fault the actors for giving 150 percent to a story that is important for them to tell.
I have to give Gina Prince-Bythewood some serious credit here. This is one of the most beautifully made movies I’ve ever seen. From the sets and costumes, this is amazing to watch. The cinematography is gorgeous as the film is shot on location in South Africa, which lends the film even more credibility. The cinematography also helps with the battle sequences which are epic and brutal. The Agojie were truly formidable warriors and they are portrayed as such. There’s a reason they lasted as long as they did. I guess the last true Agojie died in 1978. But that’s beside the point. The fight sequences are truly chaotic and incredibly satisfying. I hadn’t seen Bythewood’s The Old Guard on Netflix, so I had no idea what to expect from this movie. She handles the action incredibly well. Also, the music by Terence Blanchard is incredible.
There’s something to be said about timely movies. In an time where women are under attack from extremely conservative elements, The Woman King has the audacity to show the world how strong a woman can be. This is not just a movie about black women, but women in general and how powerful they are. By looking into the past, we can see how women can and should shape our future, because quite frankly, men have made a bit of a mess. While I think the movie runs a little too long, The Woman King is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. This is movie of the year material. Not that I watch the Oscars anyway, but if this movie doesn’t get any nominations, it would be just another nail in the coffin for the Academy’s relevance. Seriously, Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, and Thuso Mbedu are the driving force behind this movie and it needs to be seen by everybody. Highly recommended.