The Woman King movie review: women warriors are awe-inspiring, but the predictability will kill you.

 

What: The Woman King - women warriors are awe-inspiring, but the predictability will kill you

The Woman King movie review

The story of an elite fighting force entirely made of women called Agojie is true and so is the kingdom of Dahomey that they defended. If you know this fact and you see the film, you will get goosebumps for sure. Viola Davis is a brilliant actor, and you cannot miss her raised eyebrow in ‘How to get away with murder’ or her beyond brilliant performance in Fences (with Denzil Washington playing her husband in the film), and she plays General Naniska, the head of the all women elite fighting force.

The film is set in the 1800s when the Americans and Europeans were buying African men and women and taking them away on slave ships. The people were sold into slavery by their own warlords tribal chiefs in return for muskets and gunpowder. It was easy for powerful tribal armies to raid neighbourhood villages, take prisoners and sell them

The kingdom of Dahomey ruled by King Ghezo (John Boyega plays the king - resplendent in silks - is a decent and forward thinking man, despite having many wives who scheme to please him). He understands that selling his own people in exchange for guns is not a good thing. General Naniska puts the idea into his head: he should use the resources of his kingdom, like palm oil and make money in an honourable way.

I would have loved to see the theme of slavery explore much more than the training of the Agojie fighting force. But I suppose it’s easier to push the idea of warrior women especially after the success of Wakanda warriors in the Black Panther series in the Marvel Universe.

This is where the film becomes predictable. A young rebellious girl who does not wish to be married off to an elderly man, is taken to the king’s palace to be tried as a fighter. The girls are trained, but this girl Nawi (played by the saucer-eyed Thuso Mbedu), break every rule and asks too many questions. But the senior warriors like the gorgeous Izogie (the brilliant British actor Lashana Lynch whom you saw as Rosalina Capulet in Still Star-Crossed) and Amenza (The stunning Sheila Atim) see huge potential in her and encourage Nawi in their own way. Of course during the training Nawi fails but then a final push makes her win the final ‘test’ to become Agojie herself. Reminds you of all movies where there is a master who trains and a pupil who learns the hard way: from Star Wars to KungFu Panda and even Rocky.

There are several encounters with a beastly Oyo tribal general Oba Ade (played by the fearsome Jimmy Odukoya) who rides in to Dahomey and demands that Dahomey pay not just a sort of Lagaan (called ‘tribute’ in the film), but also send 20 Agojie soldiers to be sold off at the port. The Agojie go to the port but cause such mayhem that the tribes know that the king Ghezo is not going to sell his own people into slavery.

The fights are choreographed beautifully and we realise that the men who took slaves were more like savages than the people being forced into slavery. This could have been a big theme, but it’s not, alas.

The encounter, retreat, regroup and attack again becomes a little tiresome after a while and you are actually taken aback by the relentless slashing and killing.

 

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