‘The Woman King’ Review: Viola Davis and Lashana Lynch Drive a Powerful and Emotional Story
Viola Davis (Nanisca) in Sony Pictures’ The Woman King.
Directed by The Old Guard‘s Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Woman King is set in the early 19th century and tells the legendary tale of a force of elite female warriors tasked with the defense of the African Kingdom of Dahomey; they are the Agojie, led by general Nanisca, played by Viola Davis.
Perhaps the best way to describe The Woman King is as a more historically accurate Black Panther if the latter were focused on the Dora Milaje instead of the King. (How truthful to real events the movie is remains in question, but fortunately, that is not a factor when judging its quality.) Much like in 2018’s Best Picture nominee, The Woman King also features a recently crowned young King, played by John Boyega, as he starts to take on the burden of the throne. The Kingdom is under attack by the West African Oyo Empire, and the citizens of Dahomey rely upon the Agojie’s strength to protect themselves.
The film touches upon, but never really explores, the intricate and vastly layered geopolitical situation of the time. Boyega’s King Ghezo has just stripped away his own brother’s kingship, something the Oyo Empire is taking advantage of — his brother, who was a much more ruthless and sadistic man than he is, had signed a treaty that didn’t favor Dahomey very much. Nobody is a saint here, though, as both Dahomey and the Ojo are surviving thanks to selling their own people as slaves to European countries, but the movie is too busy with the rest of the narrative to worry about these morality questions. Dana Stevens, who scripted the film, tried to salvage this by making Nanisca propose an alternate economic scheme — to double their production of palm oil, which the Europeans desperately need.
Viola Davis (Nanisca) in Sony Pictures’ The Woman King.
The conflict of the film is set up once the Oyo Empire comes into Dahomey to collect their tribute and they refuse. What follows is a two-hour feast for the eyes, with compelling characters, interesting plot threads, and a masterful performance by Viola Davis at the very center. And yet, she might not even be the best part of the film. Lashana Lynch, who plays Izogie, a young and enthusiastic lieutenant of the Agojie, gives her best performance to date, with a layered and poignant portrayal of a character that speaks as much with her mouth as she does with the rest of her body.
Perhaps the most impressive actress in the film, though, is the young Thuso Mbedu, who plays Nawi, a 19-year-old girl who joins the Agojie after going through plenty of complicated experiences in her life. She is talented and confident yet slightly self-absorbed, and Davis’ Nanisca quickly notices her arrogant attitude, establishing a mentor-apprentice relationship with her. Nanisca wants Nawi not to make the same mistakes she made in her youth. Nawi is the audience’s point-of-view as she’s an outsider who is learning the way of life that the Agojie must follow.
Thuso Mbedu (Nawi), Lashana Lynch (Izogie), and Sheila Atim (Amenza) in Sony Pictures’ The Woman King.
The other big star of the film is director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who gives a masterclass in directing action sequences. She uses wide frames and does not instantly cut away during hand-to-hand combat, allowing the audience to know exactly what is happening and how violent it is. The Agojie are ruthless, and we know that because we see plenty of proof during the film. However, in other action-less scenes that feature multiple characters placed across different points on set, she had a hard time letting the audience in, not being able to play well with the geometry of the space and the overall screen direction and framing. While Glass Onion is an outstanding example of directing ensemble scenes, The Woman King was lacking better direction in that regard.
However, those are minor issues in an overall powerful and surprisingly poignant film. There is a lot more emotion than I thought going in, and The Woman King is a must-watch for this holiday season (for those of our readers that haven’t had the chance to check it out yet). With Oscar season now upon us, the film is in contention in several technical categories, as well as not-so-long shots at Best Picture and Best Actress nominations. The Best Supporting Actress category is quite competitive these days, which could rule out Lashana Lynch’s chances, but there is still a possibility that she could sneak in if the Academy is split on several other performances.
Viola Davis (Nanisca) and John Boyega (King Ghezo) in Sony Pictures’ The Woman King.
The Woman King is currently available on PVOD in several markets, including the US, and playing in theaters in plenty of other international territories.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
