Harry's Movie Review

The Woman King tells the story of General Nanisca and the Agojie, an all-female warrior unit protecting the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s. It is a film that knows what it wants to be: a straightforward action movie with historical weight. For much of its runtime, it succeeds at that. For stretches, it stumbles into the kinds of generic Hollywood moments that undermine the specificity of its setting.

Viola Davis does not need grand gestures to dominate a scene. She moves through the film with the economy of someone who has already decided what needs doing. You believe her as a commander without a monologue to back it up. The ensemble around her—Lashana Lynch, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim—each brings something distinct. Lynch carries a particular coiled intensity that the film trusts you to read without explanation. These actors work best when given space to exist in the world rather than being asked to explain what they feel about it.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood stages the action sequences with clear geography and genuine stakes. You know where people are and why the outcome matters. The 135-minute runtime does occasionally feel it, particularly when the script reaches for motivation-building scenes that land with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. There are moments where the dialogue says what the acting already showed you. That is frustrating in a film this committed to making its action work.

What stays with me is not the climactic battle but the smaller moments between the warriors preparing for it. The specificity of their training, their vulnerabilities, the way they trust each other. That is where the film finds genuine ground. That is what makes you care about what happens next.