The Woman King
SONYGina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King is a staggering old-school epic that demands to be seen on the most giant screen possible. Granted, it will not be for everyone, as its languishing pace and disjointed first-act will turn off some viewers, but once everything starts to come together in its second and third acts, Prince-Bythewhood’s feature turns into one of the most vibrant and exhilarating studio blockbusters to have come out this year.
Lead actress Viola Davis steals the entire picture here as General Nanisca, leader of the Agojie Warriors who live in Dahomey. After the film’s opening scene kills most of her warriors, Nanisca tells King Ghezo (John Boyega) that she will be training a new generation of fighters as the enemy King Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya) deals with European slave traders Santo Ferreira (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and Malik (Jordan Bolger) to exchange Dahomey’s young girls for more guns. It will be now up to Nanisca, Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), Izogie (Lashana Lynch) and Amenza (Sheila Atim) to defend the Dahomey from Oba Ade and the slave traders. Once the feature’s main plot is understood – which requires a whole host of expository dialogue – The Woman King soars. It does take a while to get to the “good stuff,” but Prince-Bythewood methodically paces her movie so that its midpoint twist becomes more effective. Without spoiling anything, it drives the story forward in unexpected and compelling ways, filling the film’s emotional core with so much raw power that subsequent action sequences have enough weight and atmosphere.
Due this method of creative writing, there is no character whom the audience does not care about, and thus every single protagonist is finely developed during its first act. When the said twist happens, their arcs start to become even more emotional. Without such deliberate pacing, none of the action would have worked in its second and third acts. It also helps that every single actor is at the top of their game. Davis has never been better as Nanisca, which is saying something since her career has been filled with nothing but one impeccable performance after performance; director Prince-Bythewood finds a deft balance between Davis’ action-driven scenes and more dramatic skills. The chemistry Davis shares with Mbedu for one is second-to-none. She sees so much of herself in her, which is part of the reason why she is so overprotective towards Nawi, but once events in her life is revealed, her performance takes a completely different direction and becomes far more effective than in the first act. However, the real star of the film is Lashana Lynch, who is born to play the role of Izogie. Lynch infuses her performance with so much fervor that it’s hard not to fall for her in this movie, to unravel with her character and find her so much more compelling. Lynch steals every ounce of the frame and even outshines the magnificent Viola Davis in sequences in which the two actresses share the screen. It shouldn’t be too surprising, as Lynch is fastly becoming a strong contender within the Hollywood circle, being one of the best parts of the lastest James Bound outing No Time To Die, and Captain Marvel, as well as its sequel and brief role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but her performance is on a whole other level in The Woman King. She has a bright career ahead of her, and one hopes that an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Izogie is in her future.
Alas, regarding performance, those who are going to see The Woman King looking for stunning action sequences will equally not be disappointed. Prince-Bythewood surprised audiences when going behind the camera directing the Charlize Theron-led The Old Guard, one of Netflix’s most underrated and wildy successful blockbusters, if Netflix is to be believed. Her action direction is second-to-none in the aforementioned action piece and is even better in The Woman King. With the aid of cinematographer Polly Morgan, who keeps the camera moving through tight, close up shots, and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire maintaining a fast-paced rhythm through her cuts. It’s even more spectacular when the stuntwork is this impeccable, but there are so many times in which the audience will cheer at seeing Davis, Lynch, Mbedu and Atim obliterate their enemies with such dance-like precision. It resurrects a type of old-school period filmmaking that audiences aren’t accustomed to seeing anymore, and to witness it on an IMAX screen is the thrill of a lifetime. Add one heck of a rousing score from Terence Blanchard, and The Woman King is a winner. It doesn’t always work within its first act, but once the twist comes into motion, the movie immediately becomes a breathtaking achievement in period filmmaking, with the most rhythmic action sequences of the year and career-best performances from Viola Davis and Lashana Lynch. Some may not like its deliberate pace, but once the mood is established and the movie kicks into gear, holy cow. Give Gina Prince-Bythewood another action film already.