Facing Threats to Their Kingdom, a Royal Army Fights Back

Viola Davis in "The Woman King"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

There are several fun aspects to watching a historical film.   You can get intrigued by seeing a world-changing event about which you know a lot play out on screen; you can watch it play out and have it reveal certain things that you didn’t know about it; or, you can watch a film that focuses on an aspect of history about which you’re not familiar with anything.

I had the experience with the latter for Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic, “The Woman King,” a thrilling piece of entertainment that’s heightened by a reliably superb performance from Viola Davis and wonderful action sequences.

From the 17th to 19th centuries, an all-female group of warriors, known as the Agojie, protects the West African kingdom of Dahomey.  The story follows General Nanisca (Davis), who, in the 1820s, is tasked with training the next generation of warriors to fight their community’s enemies.

Most of Davis’ filmography is made up of more dramatic work, and although she’s had roles in films like the heist thriller “Widows” and the superhero film “Suicide Squad,” her characters in those movies didn’t require a lot of stunt work.  However, with her performance in “The Woman King,” Davis shows a whole new side to her acting abilities by displaying the ferocity of Nanisca.  When Davis is on the battlefield, she elicits a take-no-prisoners toughness that heats up the screen as the fight sequences unfold.  When she’s not fighting, Davis brings out a sort-of stoicism to her character that still manages to speak to Nanisca’s years as a fighter and her painful past.  Davis is able to meld the emotional drama of her character, a dramatic shade that we’ve seen many times to great effect, and mixes it well with this newly viewed action aspect of her talents.  Davis has given us many great characters over the years, and her work as Nanisca offers us a chance to experience the joy of seeing something totally different from one of film’s biggest actresses working today.

Thuso Mbedu offers a superb film debut as Nawi, a young woman who shows bravery in joining the Agojie and avoids the unfulfilling life that her parents planned for her.  While Nawi begins with feeling intimidated and expressing some naïveté in terms of what the Agojie expect from her, she soon evolves into the fighter she was always meant to be, and Mbedu lets loose her character’s inner warrior as she plunges herself into battle.

The supporting cast includes wonderful performances from Lashana Lynch as Izogie, a top warrior who carries a strong fighting know-how and a light sense of humor as she takes Nawi under her wing; Sheila Atim as Amenza, Nanisca’s right-hand woman and a fellow warrior, showing the fierce loyalty of someone who’s been side-by-side with Nanisca for years; and John Boyega offers an aura of regality and authority as King Ghezo of the Dahomey.

Although the screenplay by Dana Stevens doesn’t need the love story between Nawi and slaver-turned-ally Malik (Jordan Bolger), it doesn’t factor too much into the overall narrative.  Before the story shifts to the slavers about a third of the way in, the film provides plenty of focus on the Dahomey and how they go about their lives and protecting their kingdom.  We get to learn about how their community operates and how they try to make changes to improve the ways that they thrive.  By doing so, once the slavers show up, we know how much is at stake for the Dahomey as they plan to take down their opposers.

In between all of this, we get to know the characters and the growing relationships between Nawi and her fellow warriors as she assimilates into her new lifestyle.  With a balance of character work, historical context, and thrilling battle scenes, Stevens’ screenplay is able to handle the expansive canvas that this story requires.

While most of Bythewood’s filmography consists of dramas, she isn’t any stranger to action, having directed the 2020 superhero film, “The Old Guard.”  Now, with the help of cinematographer Polly Morgan and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire (who worked with Bythewood on “The Old Guard” and “Beyond the Lights”), Bythewood crafts well-choreographed action scenes that show you the Dahomey’s intense battle skills.  She matches the epic scale of the action with the grandness of the technical aspects that are on screen that invest us in the majesty of the Dahomey’s kingdom, with Bythewood showing us colorful and detailed costumes by Gersha Phillips and Akin McKenzie’s gorgeous production design.

With an exhilarating, big-scale craft on display and strong performances, “The Woman King” reigns supreme.

Grade: A-