While director Gina Prince-Bythewood doesn’t have an extensive track record or even anything that screams excellence, The Woman King is guaranteed to make her a more established director by giving us an epic period piece that works well as a spectacularly constructed action movie and an effective human drama. Her biggest and most notable film prior to The Woman King would be Netflix’s The Old Guard and while the movie had some positive qualities, whether it was the action or Charlize Theron’s performance, the script and other character work in it was sadly a missed opportunity for her. The Woman King could have dived a bit more deeper into the social and political complexities of the time, the rest of the movie is elevated by terrific performances, the focus on its characters and some powerful themes along the way. Set in West Africa during the 1820s, The Woman King puts us in the dead center of an African tribe known as the Dahomey. In this kingdom is a a group of female led warriors, the Agojie, who’s main goal is to protect their community. The groups commanding general, General Nanisca (Viola Davis), is help build a new generation of soldiers to fight against an enemy who seeks to end their way of life.
The Woman King operates so beautifully on every single proportion. From its breathtaking and brutal fight sequences, the enchanting and bombastic music, the performances and the themes of tribalism, abandonment and conflicts within a community, The Woman King is a stellar historical epic that acts as a great piece of history but also a great narrative.
Viola Davis is, at this point, Hollywood royalty. No matter what project she’s attached on, she always brings her A-game. She’s even a fantastic Amanda Waller for the DC movies over at Warner Bros., and they’ve even brought her back in James Gunn’s version of The Suicide Squad and it looks as if she’s going to be appearing in the upcoming Black Adam movie. Davis is multiple Oscar nominated actress and an Oscar Winning actress for one good reason: the woman provides excellence in every role, and The Woman King is no different. Viola Davis dominates the screen in every single frame of this movie, especially from a physical standpoint. This is easily one of the best performance she’s ever given because it shows strength and emotion.
Aside from how awesome Viola Davis is in this movie, the rest of the cast are also standouts, particularly Thuso Mbedu in her first feature length movie. There’s an argument that Thuso Mbedu outshines Davis in this movie because Mbedu serves as the heart and soul of the film’s narrative. When we’re not focused on war, violence and egregious feelings towards our enemies, Thuso Mbedu acts as alternate side to all that by giving the film a symbol of sensitivity. Her character drives the majority of the story and it’s her performance that aids that in spades. Lashana Lynch is also proving to be a terrific talent on screen with each role she’s dawned, as for actress Sheila Atim, who serves as a great a counter part to Davis’ character.
One of director’s Gina Prince-Bythewood greatest strengths as a director, which was clearly showcased in The Old Guard, is how she stages her action sequences. Despite The Woman King being a PG-13 movie, the force and brute nature of it was almost calling for this movie to be R rated, which is odd because there are many moments in the movie were blood is being shown, tentatively speaking. Nevertheless, the action in this movie is phenomenally choreographed. The movie is more of a human drama than the marketing is making it out to be, however the action and violence in this movie is packed with ferociousness. The Woman King is the type of mainstream movie that will resonate with everyone from all walks of life. One final positive about The Woman King that SHOULD earn some awards possibility is the films score and costume design. The costuming in this movie is elegantly designed but the films score from composer Terence Blanchard is some of his best work to date.
We’ll see what kind of legs this movie has in the coming weeks, but critically speaking, The Woman King is having tremendous success. It’s the kind of reception that a lot of awards movies typically get and not to say The Woman King won’t get a Best Picture nomination but it certainly would be an appropriate pick.
My final grade for The Woman King: A
Zane's take at the Cinema's 