Review: 'The Woman King' is a potent historical epic, carried on the mighty shoulders of Viola Davis
In some ways, director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s war epic “The Woman King” is the sort of movie they used to make in abundance: Strong, hero-driven melodramas set against the backdrop of historic battles. Think “El Cid” or “Braveheart” or even “Henry V,” if you want to get Shakespearean about it.
But in two crucial ways, “The Woman King” is the sort of movie they almost never made, because that strong hero driving the story is a woman and an African — and, as played by the always compelling Viola Davis, fully deserving of the honorific of the title.
Set in the 1820s in the west African kingdom of Dahomey (now known as Benin), the film depicts a prosperous people living a fruitful existence away from European colonization. The young king, Ghezo (John Boyega), maintains peaceful relations with the nearby Oyo warlord, Oda Ade (Jimmy Odukoya), though the Oyo are becoming more belligerent. Fortunately for Ghezo, Dahomey has the protection of the fiercest warriors in the area, the all-woman fighting force called the Agojie.
Much of “The Woman King” focuses on the lives of the Agojie, living away from menfolk under King Ghezo’s protection. The king has also forbidden his subjects from casting their eyes on the Agojie when they return from battle — so the people of Dahomey know little about what goes on within the walls of the king’s compound.
Prince-Bythewood and screenwriter Dana Stevens (who shares story credit with the actress Maria Bello) introduce us to the Agojie by following a young recruit, Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a headstrong teen who is abandoned by her adopted father because she refuses to marry the rich men he selects for her.
Nawi is rebellious even to the Agojie’s battle-scarred leader, General Nanisca (that’s Viola Davis), who drills into her the message that the Agojie are disciplined, and must work as a unit — not go off alone, as Nawi sometimes does. Through boot-camp sequences, Nawi learns the skills of a fighter, as one of Nanisca’s top lieutenants, Izogie (Lashana Lynch), takes on the teen as a protege.
Meanwhile, Nanisca tries to sidestep the palace intrigue of Ghezo and his many wives — while trying to warn the king that appeasing the nearby European slave traders will not end well. Nanisca also gets a warning from her top aide, Amenza (Sheila Atim), that the signs and omens tell her that something out of Nanisca’s past will return and threaten everything she holds dear.
Prince-Bythewood (“Love and Basketball,” “The Old Guard”) stages some ferocious battle scenes, with the Agojie deploying spears and swords in effectively lethal fashion against Oyo soldiers and European slavers. Even more impressive are the training sequences, which flow with the grace and finesse of good song-and-dance numbers; one scene, where the trainees graduate and take oaths to their sister warriors, is particularly moving.
Lynch, Atim and Mbedu (who appeared in the series “The Underground Railroad”) lead a strong ensemble cast. Of course, the standout is Davis, as the two-time Oscar winner shows why she’s one of the finest actors working today — displaying the iron will that makes Nanisca a fearsome general, and the deep well of pain underneath that propels her to push herself and her troops to the limit. She makes “The Woman King” the powerful, soaring drama that it is.
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‘The Woman King’
★★★1/2
Opens Friday, September 18, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing material, thematic content, brief language and partial nudity. Running time: 126 minutes.