THE WOMAN KING : Tuesday 1st November 2022.

I saw the M Rated 'THE WOMAN KING' earlier this week, and this American historical epic film is Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood whose previous feature film Directorial credits are 'Love & Basketball' in 2000, 'The Secret Life of Bees' in 2008, 'Beyond the Lights' in 2014, and 'The Old Guard' in 2020. The film saw its World Premier showcasing at TIFF in early September this year, has generated positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$87M off the back of a US$50M production budget. 

Set in 1823, a group of all-female warriors known as the Agojie, protects the West African kingdom of Dahomey that existed from the early 17th to the late 19th centuries, with skills and fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. One night under cover of darkness General Nanisca (Viola Davis) lays siege to an encampment where Dahomean women are being held captive in readiness for sale by slavers form the Oyo Empire. This in turn provokes the recently appointed King Ghezo (John Boyega) to begin preparations for war with the Oyo. 

Nanisca and her fearless group of female warriors begin training a new group of young would-be warriors to join the Agojie and ultimately defend Dahomey. Among this group of new hopefuls is nineteen year old Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a strong-willed girl who was offered by her father to King Ghezo after refusing to marry a man old enough to be her father and who would beat her if she did not comply with his wishes. Nawi quickly becomes friends with Izogie (Lashana Lynch), a veteran Agojie. Later Nawi reveals to Nanisca that she is adopted and shows a birthmark on her left shoulder, when Nanisca tells her about the many battle scars she has suffered over the years and the many that Nawi will have to endure in her future. 

Sometime later, white slave traders led by Santo Ferreira (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and accompanied by the half-Dahomean Malik (Jordan Bolger) arrive in West Africa as trading partners with the Oyo, led by General Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya). Nawi comes across Malik one day while he is bathing in a watering hold in the jungle, and the two become friends when he explains that he is part Dahomean on his mothers side. Later that night after graduating from training to become a full-fledged Agojie and following the celebrations, Nawi sneaks off to speak with Malik and learns that the Oyo are planning to attack. Nawi reports back to Nanisca with this news who decries the young graduate for her disregard for her own safety and that of the kingdom potentially. Nanisca reveals that in her youth, she was captured by Oba, raped multiple times, and eventually fell pregnant as a result. After giving birth to a daughter, Nanisca embedded a half shark tooth in her left shoulder before ordering Amenza (Sheila Atim), another veteran Agojie to give the new born child away. Nanisca extracts the tooth from the birthmark on her left shoulder using a knife given to Nawi by Malik, confirming that she is her biological daughter. Nawi runs off distraught at this sudden news.

Nanisca leads a planned and co-ordinated attack on the Oyo catching them off guard, which is ultimately successful causing the remnants of the Oyo to hastily retreat. However, Oba escapes and Nawi and Izogie are captured to be sold off as slaves. One of the captured Agojie, who was not secured with bindings slips away and reports the fate of other captives to Nanisca. Meanwhile King Ghezo announces his wish to bestow the title of Woman King, his equal partner in ruling over Dahomey, upon Nanisca, but refuses to sanction a rescue mission for the captured Agojie, saying that if Nanisca disobey's his ruling then it will be met with the sternest of punishments. In the meantime, Izogie and Nawi hatch a plan to escape their captivity but Izogie is shot twice in the back during their attempt at escape and dies in Nawi's arms. Malik buys Nawi in order to safeguard her from a life of slavery. 

Nanisca defies King Ghezo's orders and sets out alone, but is later joined by a group of her other compatriot warriors, including Amenza, to rescue the captives. In the ensuing chaos Nawi rejoins Nanisca. Ferreira hastily rounds up several slaves and bound with ropes bundles them into a row boat bound for their ship anchored off shore, with Malik who proceeds to free the slaves who in turn set upon Ferreira and drown him in the shallows. Nanisca confronts Oba in close quarter hand to hand combat, with the former eventually overcoming the latter as she stabs him in the chest and he dies where he fell.

Triumphant the Agojie returns to Dahomey, where Ghezo briefly reprimands Nanisca for disobeying him, before bestowing upon her the title of Woman King. Following the festivities which continue well into the night, Nanisca and Nawi privately acknowledge their new found relationship as mother and daughter.

'The Woman King' is an action movie first and foremost that successfully manages to combine a fictionalised story with historical fact that weaves a coming of age, overcoming adversity and the power of a unified force of women into an epic crowd pleasing tale. Viola Davis once again proves her acting chops by delivering us a no holds barred, cut and thrust, nuanced yet emotionally scarred character that is both believable and relatable; while Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim and newcomer Thuso Mbedu also give compelling performances bringing emotional heft and weight to the films more tender moments and action sequences. I did however, feel that John Boyega's delivery of his lines left me straining to understand what he was saying under his accent; and for all the action scenes much of the slicing, dicing and blood letting was done out of view or off-camera I'm guessing for the sake of a more audience friendly M rating, not that this really detracts from the implied savagery of 1820's combat. 'The Woman King' takes all the best elements from 'Braveheart', 'Gladiator' and 'Wonder Woman' and melds them into an historical action epic that needs to be seen on the big screen.

'The Woman King' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-