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Rating: 5 out of 5
If you have seen Black Panther, you know the most elite and most incredible group is the Dora Milaje. The Dora Milaje is an elite organization of female bodyguards and Wakanda’s special forces. They play no games, and in the Falcon/Winter Soldier series, one episode showed that you shouldn’t mess with this powerful group of women. What if I told you that this group of women was a real-life African unit. The Dahomey Amazons, aka the Agojie, were an all-female military regiment in the Kingdom of Dahomey. They existed from the 17th century to the late 19th century. Research shows that they were the only female army in modern times. That is freakin AWESOME and BLACK POWER!!
In 2022, The Woman King dropped upon the world. In 1823, in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey, General Nanisca (Davis) is the leader of the all-female group of warriors called the Agojie. After saving a group of people who were about to be sold into slavery, the group returns as heroes. King Ghezo (Boyega) prepares for an all-out war with the Oyo Empire. Nanisca must now prepare the next generation of warriors but wants to find new and alternative sources of profit for the kingdom. Ghezo still believes that being part of the slave trade is the best way for his kingdom’s future.
At the beginning of the review, I will say that Viola Davis was ROBBED and DISRESPECTED for not even being nominated for an Academy Award. How does the Academy look at this film, watch Davis’s performance, and say she wasn’t one of the best five performances of the year? How does it get to that point because not only Davis was excellent, but she also showed that she can perform in a different genre of action and has a fierce personality to lead and be a general. I found this utterly disrespectful to her because she showed General Nanisca to be a firm but caring leader for her soldiers.
The opening scene of this movie was intense. Watching General Nanisca and the Agojie rise from the tall grass to attack would’ve made me shit bricks because that is a sight to send terror down one spine. The story is somewhat factional as Dahomey sold enslaved captives to European slave traders. It cannot be overlooked that this nation did sell fellow Africans into slavery, and I am happy that the film didn’t ignore this fact but put it front and center. The story is told with two situations going on. The first one deals with General Nanisca. She must command her troops and train the new generation of warriors. While doing this, she wants to see her kingdom prosper and decides that palm oil is the best way. General Nanisca also deals with the horrors of her past as she was raped by one of the prominent people in the Oyo Empire and had a child that was given away.
The second situation of the story deals with Nawi. Nawi is a strong-willed girl who doesn’t want to get married. She decides that the best thing for her is to join the Agojie. Nawi goes through intense training but also doesn’t follow orders too well. She thinks she is strong and questions everything. Nawi is also a very formidable person who loves her sisterhood. When Nanisca was about to kick her out, she cried because she knew she had a home. She dominated the race by using her brain. Even when she defied orders, it seemed for the best. We learn her true heritage later on in the film.
When you think of this film, think of the epic nature of Gladiator or Braveheart or any other white man-led film and put strong, black, inspiring women. The violence in this film is nothing short of crazy. Watching the battle scenes is intense but well shot. Watching the one soldier jump on dude and slash him with his fingernails is crazy. There is one scene where Nanisca is walking, and the homeboy shoots at her with a bullet. She blocked it, threw down the sword, and picked up another sword. It was straight-up gangsta.
I also don’t understand how this film wasn’t nominated in any category for the Academy Awards. The scenery and dancing were significant highlights of showing African pride and heritage. Scenes of the kingdom dancing and even the scene with the spear between the man and woman soldiers were something to look at and notice. This film had a ton of black pride, and it was glossed over and forgotten by the Academy. The costume design alone should’ve been nominated because it extensively showed these powerful women.
The Woman King is by far one of the best films I have watched. We all need to bow down to Viola Davis after this film. She came, she saw, and she conquered. You see how she swung around that sword? Just kneel and move on because she can kick anyone’s ass, and I love that, as a general, she was front and center. The action and costume designs are top-notch. Still can’t believe it wasn’t nominated for anything. Watch this film and bow down to the Woman King.
