TIFF 2022: The Woman King Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

One thing that can’t be said enough is that representation matters across all media as audiences gravitate to characters and stories that better reflect themselves and their own personal experiences. Perhaps this is why The Woman King has resonated so much with its theatrical release coming very soon. This historical action epic is very much a blockbuster that delivers as many thrilling action set pieces as it does emotion. The ensemble of women on screen are more than capable of carrying the film while offering plenty of badassery to satisfy audiences. While the film revels in those bigger moments with the technical prowess in front of and behind the camera to support them, it also excels in those smaller ones. A sure-fire crowd-pleaser, that ensemble led by Viola Davis and a star-making turn by Thuso Mbedu are ultimately what ties it all together and take it to an even higher level.

The Woman King takes place in the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s where an all-female unit of warriors known as the Agoje defend the kingdom and protect their king, King Ghezo (John Boyega). Leading them was the renowned General Nanisca (Davis). As Dahomey looks to the future, it is up to Nanisca to train the next generation of warriors to lead the kingdom and protect it against incoming threats. Both parts of what felt like a character study through that multi-generational lens were compelling to watch via the dynamic of Nanisca and a new recruit named Nawi (Mbedu). Nawi is the window for audiences into the world of the Agoje as they pull her out of some tough circumstances as she essentially grows up and learns to take care of herself. That contrast between the old and the new made for some compelling moments between her, Nanisca, and two other memorable characters in Lieutenant Izogie (Lynch) and Nanisca’s second in command Amenza (Sheila Atim). The other side of that was the action and for that, the film definitely did not disappoint. The thrills and excitement are there as sequences are epic in scope and brutality as the camera does a beautiful job at capturing all the well-choreographed action set across the beautiful African landscape. 

The best part of The Woman King is its aforementioned performances, especially from Davis and Mbedu as Nanisca and Nawi. Davis is a beast with more than enough range and charisma to pull of the gruff general and still have plenty of vulnerability to spare whenever gruffness is not needed. Meanwhile, she could more than handle herself with the action as she absolutely kicks ass. Mbedu more than handle herself in every respect as the heart of the film, showing the same strength and range in creating a strong character arc. Lynch and Atim are scene-stealers as Izogie and Amenza.

Overall, The Woman King may read as a blockbuster on paper but its message is likely to give it more staying power.

 still courtesy of Sony Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.