The Woman King is the latest film from Gina Prince-Bythewood, with a script from Dana Stevens (and a surprise “Story By” credit for Maria Bello). Taking place in the early 1800s, the film tells a story about the Agojie, also known as the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military regiment who serve the West African kingdom of Dahomey, which is currently ruled by the young but ambitious King Ghezo (John Boyega). We specifically follow General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who overlooks the training of a new group of recruits, while keeping a special eye on a particularly determined newbie named Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), who would rather serve the King via the Agojie than get married.
Along with training the new generation of women, Nanisca is forced to deal with increasing conflicts with the neighboring Oyo Empire, led by Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya), discussions with King Ghezo about the possibilities of no longer being involved with the slave trade, as well as reckoning with past trauma that has come back to face her (keeping details on this vague for spoiler reasons). Though, she isn’t alone, as she has experienced leaders in her group such as Izogie (Lashana Lynch) and Amenza (Sheila Atim), who are ready to kick the new girls into shape, and ready for battle.
In an already rather solid filmography, The Woman King features some of the finest filmmaking from Prince-Bythewood so far. Having already helmed an action film with The Old Guard a couple years back, she manages to make this film, a $50 million production, look way more polished and finely tuned than her previous effort, which was actually more expensive. It brings to mind the kind of historical action epics we don’t get from Hollywood that much anymore, stuff like Braveheart, The Last Of The Mohicans, or Gladiator. Films where you can really see the money on screen through lavish costumes, massive sets, tons of extras, and a a strong ensemble, each with their own storyline or arc.
A lot of those qualities can be found here. The film is a terrific looking production, utilizing detailed sets that feel lived-in, on-location shooting, and a sense of environment. It does a strong job at throwing you into this period, and it’s so well crafted on pretty much all fronts, from Polly Morgan’s immersive cinematography to Terence Blanchard’s vibrant and propulsive score. I especially found the lighting to be noteworthy, particular in scenes that take place at night. Great use of soft lighting and using wet skin to reflect light.
However, there are some things that don’t totally work. First thing to get out of the way, is the accuracy of the events. After doing some light reading, it does seem like the filmmakers simplified a lot of the politics, and softened the Dahomey’s philosophy towards the slave trade. But honestly, I don’t consider this that huge of a flaw. It’s about as accurate as the films I’ve mentioned previously, and that didn’t stop those from becoming beloved. One other aspect that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would was the PG-13 rating. While I would have loved to see more blood splatter, they manage to make the fights brutal and effective enough through strong choreography and gnarly sound design.
The issues that did come to bother me somewhat are mostly in the incidental stories that I think could have used more time to develop and enrich the overall narrative or be left out completely. Like, there’s a whole dynamic between Nanisca and one of the King’s wives, Shante (Jayme Lawson), who is looking to gain more power. There’s also a love story, of sorts, between Nawi and Malik (Jordan Bolger), a friend of the Portuguese slave trader, Santo Ferreira (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). Malik is half Dahomey, on his mother’s side, and wants to see his homeland, developing feelings for Nawi during his journey. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of chemistry, and I don’t think it adds up to much. And there is a reveal regarding Nanisca that works narratively, but feels very Hollywood, and I wish the nature of that reveal was kept more ambiguous (again, sorry for being vague, you’ll know it when you see it).
Back to the positives, all the performers kill it, pun intended. Davis is a beast, which comes as no surprise, but I think it is cool to see the level of physicality on display, which is something we don’t often see from older actresses, especially a woman of color. Mbedu delivers good work as Nawi, serving as an audience surrogate, as well as following a fairly classic character arc. Lynch is probably the highlight of the film for me, she was a force of nature, and easily the coolest of the bunch, holding herself up with this incredible sense of confidence with the slight smirk, I really dug her character. Atim is probably best described as the heart of the film. I’ve only seen her in a couple things, but she is very charismatic and carries a very unique and compelling screen presence.
So, while The Woman King might not be flawless, it is still pretty great. It scratches an itch that hasn’t been scratched in a good long while, and I’m glad we’re still getting movies like this made, even if it isn’t as much as we used to. I really enjoyed seeing Gina Prince-Bythewood playing on a canvas this grand, and she clearly has a strong vision for how she wants to do things because the film, despite the few story elements that don’t fully come together, there’s a great sense of cohesion with the action, the drama, the intimate character moments, and the bigger historical context (even with the inaccuracies). There’s a strong emotional core that runs through the film, and the cast is able to carry that heft, even when the film is at its most bombastic. It’s classic Hollywood in many ways, while also being rather fresh given the culture the film tackles is one we don’t often see in these kinds of movies. I hope Gina Prince-Bythewood continues to get more opportunities to tell big stories like this, and I hope – as I did – anyone who sees this reads about the actual Agojie, it’s fascinating stuff. Definitely a strong recommendation from me.
The Woman King is now out in theaters.