The sweeping yet palpably human theatrics of director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s newest film The Woman King, an action epic about the African kingdom Dahomey and its all-women militia the Agojie during a watershed moment in its complicated history, reverberates off the screen during its thrilling opening minutes. A group of armed men from the tyrannical Oyo Empire are huddled around a campfire, listening gingerly to the ambient sounds of the twilight hour for anyone brave enough to infringe upon them and the women they’ve abducted, who are likely to be sold into slavery. A bird glides across the booming backdrop of the evening landscape, rustling past the lofty brush into the ominous night sky. It would be a minute false alarm if the fierce, machete-wielding General Nanisca (an always-captivating Viola Davis) and her troop of powerful warriors didn’t erupt from the grass like a sheer, almost otherworldly force of nature itself, hacking away the men and liberating the women in a gruesome and blistering battle.
After this momentous victory, the Agojie swaggers back into their kingdom as a crowd of Dahomeons rapturously applaud and lovingly gaze toward them, suggesting that this squad is nothing but idyllic, yet the stoic Nanisca understands the magnitude of her dominant nation’s brutality and the dark future that may lie on their horizon if they continue down this path. This triumph withstanding, the Oyo continues to steadily encroach upon the Dahomeny, and the regal yet fresh-faced King Ghezo (John Boyega) zealously prepares for war, insisting, despite Nanisca’s beseeching of its clear immorality, that the kingdom still participates in the slave trade to maintain its standing amidst conflict with both the Oyo and European colonizers. How can a group of women that stands for empowerment be complicit with this cycle of oppression? When the young and fiercely self-possessed Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) refuses to be sold into marriage and is inducted into the Agojie instead, her unwavering passion for agency (and a possible shared history with Nanisca) may be the final catalyst for a more prosperous future for all.
The Woman King is classically compelling in its handsomely mounted production, the sumptuous and tactile sets, costumes and cinematography evoking treasured historical Hollywood fables like Ben-Hur, Braveheart and Gladiator, but it’s all underpinned by a keen dramatic sensitivity for thorny material within these rugged parameters, making it feel rousingly fresh in the process. You may be able to recognize the formula here (the rigorous training montages, wrenching redemption arcs and narrative twists are all hallmarks of this genre), but Prince-Bythewood has got the deft touch of an unshakably great storyteller, thoughtfully crafting what may be her most accomplished work to date.
The filmmaker has only grown as an action director since her last feature The Old Guard, making your adrenaline vigorously pump with all the bruising combat and devastating bloodshed (fear not of a tepid PG-13 rating- they go as far as they can with it), but what makes The Woman King truly soar into your heart is her penchant for empathetically realized character dynamics, which has only endured since Love and Basketball. She just excels at making these grand moments feel intimate and vice versa, enriching the stakes in the process.
For every battle scar that becomes a part of a warrior’s mystical legend, Prince-Bythewood and company seem just as interested in the very real people they’ve been afflicted on, individuals who carry the burden of indelible wounds with treacherous backstories. Like the vast majority of her platoon, Nanisca is laden with such scars, appearing hardened on the surface but truly damaged underneath. In prioritizing that central dichotomy, the film brings about a riveting tale of a seemingly perfect nation reckoning with its fraught present to enable true sisterhood and solidarity, all while also underscoring a universal and strikingly poignant story of healing, reconciliation and understanding.
It almost seems pointless to say that Davis is great in another movie, but having an actress of her caliber in this role is simply marvelous to behold; the film overall provides an amazing showcase for Black women who rarely get to portray these types of characters. The veteran actress bears staggering physicality as the ferocious general, a titanic screen presence of a titanic screen performer, but that towering grandeur is met with real human vulnerability. Nanisca may seem impenetrable, yet Davis maintains that demeanor while finding her way to the very human soul of the character, eloquently capturing her transition from world-weary warrior to resilient, heartened woman. Mbedu and Lashana Lynch (as the commanding and charismatic Izogie) match the venerable star’s prowess, sure to be icons themselves; the former has a cry so seismic and visceral that it sent shockwaves through my system.
But that’s not to say that The Woman King is only subtle dramatic interplay. When it needs to be operatic and uphold the other end of the deal, it fully delivers, even if it takes the plot mechanics a bit to get there. Prince-Bythewood helms the battle scenes with muscular and immersive flair (you’ll wince and grunt at their vigor), and Director of Photography Polly Morgan (A Quiet Place Part II) ratchets up every frame with scale and scope. A crisp spirituality courses through the combat scenes and imbues them with a weighty cadence, and the meticulous choreography and tight framing truly make them sing. It’s a real barn burner of a movie that earns its exhilarating spectacle.
I don’t think it is my place to say if some of the dramatic liberties the film takes are justifiable in distilling the story’s thematic essence of Black power, but I was undeniably enraptured by the entire affair, a film that is both mythic in its stylings and achingly candid in its subtext. Beautifully crafted actioners and arresting mid-budget dramas from mainstream studios are rare these days, and moreover, the sincerity delicately woven into this utterly majestic screen epic is just as special. The Woman King reigns supreme!
Grade: A-
The Woman King is now available in theaters.
Photo Credit / Sony Pictures
