By Jonah Naplan

September 16, 2022

Nanisca crouches down in the tall grass, surrounded by her fellow Agojie members. Then she rises confidently. The fierce Agojie follow behind, facing a group of men belonging to an enemy tribe. Nanisca draws her heavy sword. So do the men. Both groups attack. It’s a battle of wills more so than strength. It’s a surface level war to make sure the voice of the Agojie is still heard in an ever-changing world. They continue to retreat back to their analog methods in battle. And only every so often do they utilize muskets, gunpowder and all. But you don’t need a gun to use gunpowder. All you need is a spark. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film has just that.

“The Woman King” is the kind of exhilarating action epic that I love watching on the big screen. It’s not like we don’t get these very often, but they’re very rarely this good. The film stars and was produced by Viola Davis, the beating heart of this movie. The goal of her character is ensuring the safety of the African kingdom of Dahomey, ruled by King Ghezo (John Boyega), leading the Agojie, an all-female army into battle. And each member isn’t just another damsel in distress, claiming they can make do on their own, but end up desperately needing the help of a big, strong man. In “The Woman King,” the opposite is true. The Agojie warriors are powerful, and strong, and willing to run into battle with barely any armor, and only a sword to protect them.

Such is what Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) learns when she begins to train among other young novices to become one of them. She is mentored by Izogie (Lashana Lynch), and nearly breaks the first rule of training almost immediately. “Always obey Izogie.” Nawi puts gunpowder and lit fuses into the training dummies, wishes for a different weapon on her first day and fails to chop off a head while using Nanisca’s sword, and cuts her arms and legs while battling to cross through a thorny passage in training. But it’s all for the good of King Ghezo’s safety, of course. These early moments for our young character attempt to show why Nawi is essentially the lead protagonist. But it’s difficult to tell. Because each female character is so thoroughly written. In fact, they may just be the most thoroughly written female characters I’ve seen in film, well, ever.

What “The Woman King” is about, or rather what it’s about out of all the interesting things circulating through the internet in 2022, is a woman’s singular independence, and henceforth, their right to choose. “The Woman King” chooses to be about this, and implements ideas that contrast with its own relevant belief system. Not everyone in the 1800’s would feel comfortable around an entirely Black womens warrior group, you know! The time that “The Woman King” takes place dramatically differs from the world we live in now. Therefore, when you look at it from all angles, “The Woman King” is an allegory for what we perceive people to be, and what their goals are. It almost feels like the goal of the Agojie warriors was not to seek vengeance for lives lost in battle, rather it was a reminder to sailors, and settlers, and other men with guns that they were in fact still there. They hadn’t gone anywhere. They were still a living, breathing, functional tribe.

When the violence in “The Woman King” does occur, it’s grounded, and worth paying attention to. The skillsets that each incredible woman possesses is remarkable, and I wonder about the percentage of practical stunts in the film. There was one incredible long take in particular where we find Nanisca and Nawi desperately running away from enemies. We follow them, dodging attacks until they fall dozens of feet into water. “The Woman King” is a gorgeously shot film, and it doesn’t let up until the end.

The cinematography from Polly Morgan is jaw-dropping. She shoots the landscapes of West Africa in long, wide takes, using flashes of orange and blue to make the Agojie warriors stand out. (Morgan previously did the cinematography for “A Quiet Place: Part II” as well as this year’s “Where the Crawdads Sing”). Director Gina Prince-Bythewood spins a beautiful web of relationships, memories, violence, love, hatred, and each common theme that a kingdom represents into a novel film. Dahomey feels like a real group of people, united by an all-women's group sworn to protect that stretch of land. It sometimes reminded me of the Amazons in “Wonder Woman.” William Moulton Marston’s characters overcame gender roles at that time, when they were created in 1942. If “The Woman King,” or anything like it, was released that same year, its influence would continue to hold up today. It’s almost unfortunate that “The Woman King” hadn’t been released up until now. It may not get the attention it deserves.

A twist in the middle of “The Woman King” may ruin the film for some. For me it gave the movie an additional human element to an otherwise seemingly inhuman story. The Agojie warriors are so damn good at what they do that they almost seem genetically enhanced. But then I remembered that the movie takes place in 1823, so that prospect is impossible.

The best part about “The Woman King” is that most of everything was based on true events. At Sony’s presentation at Cinemacon this year, after a tribute to Viola Davis was given, the actress herself walked on stage and introduced a new upcoming project from the studio. It was called “The Woman King,” a film about an all-female group of warriors based on real people that existed back in the 19th century. And this film is her baby, even if it’s not entirely about Nanisca. It’s about Izogie, and Nawi, and Amenza (Sheila Atim), Nanisca’s second in command, and Portuguese settlers played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Jordan Bolger, too. When bloodshed goes down, we always care about the people involved.

It’s been a terrific week for female representation in entertainment. This past Wednesday, the Mayyas, an all-female dance group won America’s Got Talent, and now we have “The Woman King,” an extraordinary film about even more extraordinary women rising to the occasion and standing up for their people. They’re very good at it, too. “The Woman King” is powerful. It’s exhilarating. It’s emotional. It’s exciting. It’s mesmerizing. It’s one of my favorite movies of the year.

Now playing in theaters.