The Woman King
Historical epics aren't especially known for being historically accurate, and that's something everyone should know going into a film like that. History often isn't pretty, and in the case of "The Woman King," that history is especially bloody, violent, and counter-intuitive to the story that director Gina Prince-Bythewood wanted to tell. The story of the all female warriors known as the Agojie seemed to be fearless, unstoppable, and above all honest in the film, but the real life Agojie seemed to be anything but, along with their kingdom of Dahomey. While the film paints them as a nation who wants to abolish the slave trade and to protect women and innocents in other kingdoms, in real life the Dahomey was well-known slave traders who mercilessly killed anyone who defied them, and the women warriors were no match for the more powerful French who eventually invaded their land. Still, cinema has never been a solid truth teller, and if you look at "The Woman King" solely as a film without thinking of the real historical context, it's actually a very well-done spectacle filled with strong performances and intense action sequences.
In the 1820s in West Africa, the nation of Dahomey is under attack by the Oyo Empire. King Ghezo (John Boyega) prepares for an all-out war by enlisting his supreme general, Nanisca (Viola Davis) and her Agojie female warriors to prepare for the fight. She enlists a new crop of women to train, and among them is young headstrong Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), who defies Nanisca's orders time and again, but still rises the ranks to be one of the best new recruits, thanks to the training by seasoned Agojie warrior Izogie (Lashana Lynch). As the time for war looms, the women must learn to work together despite shocking revelations that could split the tribe, as Nanisca balances her own emotions with leading the warriors to victory.
"The Woman King" is a unique action film in that it balances action with drama, and surprisingly focuses more on the drama than the action, making it a prime film to be in consideration for Oscar gold. The main thrust of the film focuses on the relationships between the women warriors, and how they learn to work together as a cohesive unit, because, as Nanisca says, "if you fight individually, you'll die, but together, we can be victorious" (I'm paraphrasing, but that's the just of her statement). Still, despite the desire to be one big unit, there's no denying the differing personalities that clash and come into conflict with one another - but when push comes to shove, nothing can stop these women from achieving their goals.
The movie centers around the relationship between Davis's Nanisca and Thuso Mbedu's Nawi, and how their opposing views often come into conflict. "The Woman King" maintains the narrative beats of the same type of movie you've seen before, as the majority of the film centers on the training of the new Agojie, especially Nawi, who is your stereotypical character who goes against the rules but ends up being the best of them because of it. Yet sprinkled throughout are a few subplots that takes you in many different directions, which isn't necessarily a good thing. It's almost like a soap opera with its twists and turns that threatens to derail the entirety of the film, but thanks to a secure performance by Viola Davis, the boat remains on track despite the choppy waves.
Davis gives another awards-worthy performance as General Nanisca, the headstrong, no-nonsense leader of the Agojie warriors. She leads with a steely determination and refuses to show any weakness to the women, except for her second-in-command Amenza (played brilliantly by Sheila Atim). Yet as her story hits front and center, it threatens to unravel the delicate balance she tries to portray, but Davis more than holds it together. On the flip side, newcomer Thuso Mbedu gives a revelatory performance as Nawi, who does don the stereotypical archetype I stated earlier, but does so with a sincerity that makes her more endearing an annoying. Yet even her story suffers pitfalls of romanticism that again deters from the warrior spirit the film tries to convey, but fortunately doesn't delve into melodramatic fashion.
Where the film really flourishes is in its epic action sequences, but even these are stinted by a PG-13 rating that results in rushed battles with shaky camerawork where you don't really know what's happening, except for a few exciting moments of almost bloodless violence. It would've been better if it had an R rating, but as it is, it's a serviceable action drama epic that shows that women can be just as strong as men, which is pretty much the main point of the film.
The Score: A
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