The Woman King (TIFF) Review

PLOT: In 1823, Nanisca (Viola Davis) is the brave leader of the Agojie, an all-female regiment tasked with protecting the kingdom of Dahomey. After a traumatic experience in which she was kidnapped as a slave, Nanisca finds herself at odds with the slave trade her kingdom participates in, but is forced to follow orders. As the nightmares become ever more difficult to ward off, she is tasked with training a new generation of warriors, including the wayward Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), with whom she has a surprising bond.

REVIEW: The Woman King is a film that Viola Davis proudly named her magnum opus at CinemaCon earlier this year. Pushing herself to her physical limits and undergoing a transformation that took her from a beloved character actress to an action heroine, Davis clearly gave her all for her passion project. A thoughtful and beautifully staged epic The Woman King is immensely entertaining, even if it’s bogged down by a sideline romantic subplot and the PG-13 rating, which makes the action sequences more tame than they should be.

It is worth noting the controversy that has already arisen regarding the film’s depiction of the Kingdom of Dahomey. Many expected the kingdom involved in the slave trade to be left out of the film, but the opposite is true. One of the film’s central conflicts is that Davis’ Nanisca is bravely opposed to the practice, while her king (John Boyega’s King Ghezo) is reluctant to go along with it. I’ll leave it to the historians to say whether this is correct or not, but they at least go head-on and do it The Woman King In that respect, a much more well-rounded historical epic than some might have given credit for based on the trailer alone.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film is a solid historical epic that benefits from a great cast, led by Davis at her craziest. If the likes of Bob Odenkirk and Liam Neeson can become action heroes in their fifties, Davis seems to have to show people that she can too. Her raw intensity is aided by a newly jacked physique that makes her an imposing action heroine, and she performs exceptionally well in the numerous action scenes. Her pathos and empathy not only for her people but also for those she helps conquer make Nanisca a truly compelling lead. Lashana Lynch joins her as Izogie, the band’s most formidable warrior, and it’s another hard-hitting role for the actress who seems cut out for the action genre.

The Woman King uses a classic formula to tell the story of the Agojie. We’ve all seen the film in which the rebellious newcomer has to conform to the team, and Thuso Mbedu (Nawi) is the underdog in this film. She is a wayward villager who rebuffs her parents when they try to force her into marriage, forcing her to join the Agojie. Proving to be a natural, Izogie takes her under her wing, but she is also headstrong and refuses to follow orders. The conflict/admiration between her and Nanisca is out of the action movie handbook, but it works. It helps that Mbedu has plenty of charisma and presence, in addition to perfecting the action scenes by adopting a unique fighting style that she develops throughout the film.

However, The Woman King also falters when trying to frame an alien romance between Nawi and a half-Dahomey/half-Portuguese slave trader played by Jordan Bolger. It feels like it’s straight out of another movie, with plenty of breathless scenes of shirtless Bolger, while Mbedu seems unrealistically drawn to a man who connects with the same people who routinely enslave their people. Relations between the Agojie were enough; It didn’t need extra romance claiming runtime that would have been better spent on some of the other new Agojie recruits.

Another issue that isn’t Prince-Blythewood’s fault is that the film is hampered by a PG-13 rating, which robs the action scenes of their impact. The sound team is working overtime to give us a sense of the brutality, but there’s no blood or gore as Davis and her crew hack opponents to pieces. This makes the battles look a little too clean, but I suppose that was a compromise they had to make to get a PG-13. It’s outrageous that a movie like that The Woman King must limit the violence so much while allowing thousands of people to die in the latest superhero movie. More evidence that the MPAA is hopelessly outdated, but I digress.

Eventually, The Woman King is a well-made historical action film with its director’s strong approach to the material and impressive performances all around. While I could have done without the romantic subplot and used a little more gore, I still had a good time from start to finish and I highly recommend it.

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