The Woman King (2022) Review: Finally, an African Historical Epic

The Woman King, the long-awaited epic from Maria Bello, Dana Stevens, and Gina Prince-Blythewood, finally hits theaters this week.  This film highlights the remarkable story of the Agojie, an all-female warrior unit of Africa’s Dahomey Kingdom.  It took seven years to bring this historical epic to theaters, with the producers making great efforts to treat the historical record with care. However, the film is not without controversy, as the Dahomey Kingdom is guilty of participating in the transatlantic slave trade.  Critics question the need to highlight or celebrate the story of a nation with such a checkered past.

What’s it about?

The Woman King is set in West Africa during the 1820s, the height of the transatlantic slave trade.  The Dahomey Kingdom is one of the power brokers in the region and is protected by the Agojie, an elite guard of warrior women led by General Nanisca (Viola Davis).  

The smaller Dahomey Kingdom is in military conflict with the larger Oyo Empire.  The warmonger General Obo (Jimmy Odukoya) is thirsty for an all-out war with the Dahomey.  To heighten tensions between the groups, the Oyo are now raiding Dahomey lands and capturing villagers for the slave trade.  

General Nanisca knows war is on the horizon and seeks to train a new generation of Agojie warriors. Nanisca and her lieutenants Amenza (Sheila Atim) and Izogie (Lashana Lynch) gather recruits from around the kingdom.  Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) is one of these recruits.  She is strong-willed, determined, and fiercely loyal to her kingdom and fellow recruits. The three Agojie leaders focus on building Nawi and the rest of the recruits into the best warriors they can be.  Will Nanisca have her soldiers ready for the impending battle?

My Reaction 

I was cautious going into the film, as the controversial history of the Dahomey and their involvement in the slave trade was trending on social media before the film’s release.  I’m not interested in historical dramas that whitewash or overlook the complicated and divisive.  I find films that tackle historical figures but skim past the negative aspects of such figures boring and inauthentic.  I surmised from the film’s trailers that The Woman King would do just that, mainly glorifying the progressivism of an all-female warrior group without mentioning the kingdom’s sins. If this was the portrayal of The Woman King, then I knew I would have to harshly criticize such an endeavor, no matter the strength of performances or success of the story otherwise.

The Woman King does not run away from the Dahomey’s involvement in the slave trade but towards it. 

However, The Woman King does not run away from the Dahomey’s involvement in the slave trade but towards it.  At the story’s center is the morality of Dahomey’s relationship with Europeans and how they distinguish themselves from the Oyo.  Davis’ Nanisca is pushing King Ghezo (John Boyega) to reconsider the kingdom’s involvement and profit from selling enslaved Africans and the need to pivot to trade that does not include human life. Nanisca is loyal to the King but wants her nation to be better and not have its greatness tied to travesties like slavery.

The Woman King also provides context on their understanding of the slave trade and the treatment of enslaved people.  You never get a sense that the Dahomey know about the brutal treatment of enslaved Africans. In fact, the Dahomey seemed disinterested in those facts entirely, as matters of war, politics, and the economy consume all the attention of the kingdom’s leadership.  This makes it hard to root for the Dahomey at times. Yet, it also provides a parallel to current affairs in the United States, where the lives of the ordinary are often overlooked by national leaders focused on “more important” topics of stock markets and defense.

In a sense, The Woman King is just as much a political drama as an action movie.  Nanisca, though not a natural politician, finds herself fighting for the ear of the king on matters concerning selling enslaved Africans.  The conflict with the Oyo is heightened by the question of the slave trade, as exiting the market will cause Europeans to throw more support behind the rival Oyo empire. 

Religious and philosophical beliefs are at play during these debates as well.  Although there are undoubtedly many practices of the Dahomey that westerners would find sexist (i.e., arranged marriages and polygamy), the Dahomey’s belief system places man and woman as equal. You never get the sense that the political conflict was latent with sexism, but instead was a battle of ideas. 

While these political debates happen in the background, the film also provides a great hero’s journey and a coming-of-age story for Nawi, who needs to learn discipline and trust.  Lashana Lynch’s depiction of Izogie as this fierce warrior with a kind spirit is excellent for the mentorship role. You have this caring, big-sister relationship that is not very common in film.

I also found The Woman King to be very relatable, particularly the training of the new class of Agojie.  The Agojie process of training was thematically relatable to the process I’ve experienced in my historically Black fraternity and what I’ve witnessed within historically Black sororities. The careful guidance, rites of passage, and celebrations took me back to my college days, minus the machete fighting and hand-to-hand combat, of course.

The performances are outstanding in the film. I wouldn’t be surprised if Viola Davis or Sheila Atim receive buzz for their performances come award season. Lashana Lynch has never been better, and John Boyega continues to show his dramatic chops and his penchant for humor as King Ghezo.  

The performances are also quite physical.  The cast is in incredible shape, reminiscent of the Spartan actors of 2006’s 300.  It was evident that the cast spent an astonishing amount of time learning how to use the historically accurate weapons of the Agojie.  Director Gina Prince-Blythewood (Love & Basketball) is a formal athlete and is known as a stickler for realism in the athletic portions of her films. 

The care that went into the production of The Woman King is also remarkable.  This film took seven years to sell the studios on the film and acquire the appropriate budget needed to do the film justice.  But when The Woman King finally came together, it was evident that there wasn’t a moment wasted.  Costume design, military props, and set design deserve accolades.  The lighting of Black skin has been a weakness of Hollywood blockbusters, but The Woman King is masterful with its lighting.  Finally, the cinematography of African landscape, battle scenes, and village celebrations were all equally colorful and vibrant.

Overall Rating

The Woman King is an incredible film. It is a historical action and war movie at its core but integrates many other elements to its story, including political drama, coming of age, hero’s journey, and more.  Most importantly, there is an empowerment of Black women, their agency, skill, and confidence throughout the film. It is not surprising that comic book writer Christopher Priest would find inspiration from these warriors for Black Panther’s Dora Milaje.

Although The Woman King is more Gladiator and less 12 Years a Slave, the film doesn’t run away or excuse the Dahomey kingdom’s complicated past.  It directly calls out the enrichment of the kingdom through the slave trade.  It also provides the historical context of the political and economic landscape of 19^th century Africa and the value systems that led to the trading of enslaved people. 

I’ll leave the historical accuracy of the accounts to the historians who will assuredly analyze the film. However, I am nervous about completely dismissing storytelling due to the transgressions of the subject material.  There isn’t a life without flaws nor a society without sin.  Certainly, whitewashing should have no place in modern storytelling. But if the storyteller approaches their craft with integrity, more movies like The Woman King will result.