The Woman King

 3/4

Starring: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jimmy Odukoya

Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Strong Violence, Some Disturbing Material, Thematic Content, Brief Language and Partial Nudity

"The Woman King" is one of those big, splashy Hollywood epics that came out at Oscar season in the hopes of earning a few statuettes and leftover Christmas money.  Before Disney gained a stranglehold on Hollywood.  Think along the lines of "The Last Samurai" or "Gangs of New York."  This Africa-set adventure story isn't in that same league, but it's still entertaining and exciting.

The film takes place in the early part of the 19th century.  Ghezo (Boyega) has just been crowned king, and seeks to exit the slave trade, which has brought prosperity to the kingdom of Dahomey but few are still comfortable with where that wealth comes from.  That doesn't sit well with the Oyo Empire, who uses Dahomey to acquire slaves for them.  Central to the debate of whether or not to go to war with the Oyo is Nanisca (Davis), head of the Agojie, Dahomey's group of elite women warriors.  Also in the mix is Nawi (Mbedu), a new recruit to the Agojie.

What's great about "The Woman King" is that women take center stage.  Sure, Ghezo is the king and he is respected as such, but this isn't his story.  This is about Nawi, Nanisca, and their comrades.  Strong women are often a challenge for male filmmakers; they're often relegated to simply saying they're tough and independent before allowing the hero to take charge.  Not here.  This isn't a case of "Wyldstyle" from "The Lego Movie."  The Agojie are true badasses.  They're tough as nails, ferocious fighters, and while they do fight alongside the men, there is no question whatsoever who is tougher.  They can and will lay down their lives on the battlefield, but they'll put up one hell of a fight first.

Casting Viola Davis in the role of Nanisca was perhaps inevitable.  Davis has made a career out of playing strong women, and they don't come any stronger than Nanisca.  She knows exactly who she is, and while she has an intense loyalty to the king (she's rumored to become the queen), she won't let anyone stand in her way of what she believes to be right.  Easily matching her beat for dramatic beat is newcomer Thuso Mbedu.  As a young woman given to the Agojie after refusing to marry the man her parents have selected for her, she gets a chance for self-discovery.  And much more.  Hollywood would do well to keep their eye on her talents.

I do have some criticisms of the film.  For one thing, the accents, while well done, are often so thick that it's impossible to understand a lot of the dialogue.  Perhaps that is why character development is so spotty and the background politics are muddled.  Certainly the screenplay doesn't help matters.  The dialogue is often flat and hampers the ability of the actresses to bring their characters to life.  And while director Gina Prince-Bythewood has a flair for action scenes, her gifts as a storyteller are less so.  There is no sweeping dramatic arc that this sort of movie requires.  Then again, this movie little more than two hours long; hardly the epic it aspires to be.

One thing I missed in this movie is a sense of exotic atmosphere.  Movies that take place in Africa, be it "Blood Diamond" or "Congo," seem like they are taking place in a far away land that's both beautiful and mysterious.  There is no appreciation of the land to be found here.  Although it may seem like a cosmetic criticism, it does hamper immersion.

That being said, I did enjoy myself while watching this movie.  It's not a masterpiece and it won't end up on my Top 10 list, but it is entertaining.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Desert Flower

2/4 Starring: Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson Rated R for Some Violent Content, A Scene of Sexuality and Language The problem with "Desert Flower" is not that Waris Dirie's story isn't suited for the cinematic treatment or that the actress playing her isn't acceptable.  The problem is that director Sherry Hormann doesn't do a good job of telling it.  This is a poorly focused film that can't decide what it wants to be about or what it wants to say. As is the case with many a true story, the life of Waris Dirie is too amazing to be made up by a Hollywood screenwriter.  This woman fled an arranged marriage as a child, spent years as a servant to a Somali diplomat in England, survived on the streets, and was discovered by a fashion photographer while working as a janitor.  Then she became a supermodel and UN Ambassador in the fight against female genital mutilation. Waris experienced a lot in her life.  Telling it all in a...
Read more

The Road

3.5/4 Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron Rated R for Some Violence, Disturbing Images and Language "The Road" has to be the most downbeat, depressing and cynical movie I've ever seen.  That's not meant as a criticism, but a fact.  This is a tough movie to get through, but not a chore.  Those who venture in will find their time well spent, albeit not in a necessarily pleasant way.  Then again, if a movie is based off a novel by Cormac McCarthy, "pleasant" isn't a word one would hope to be used to describe it. The film takes place after the world has ended.  How it happened is not explained because it doesn't matter.  But any hope of the Earth recovering from what happened has long since gone.  A man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are travelling together, trying to "get to the coast."  There are few people left, although considering what many are doing with the goal of survival, that's a good thing...
Read more

My Left Foot

 2/4 Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Fiona Shaw, Alison Whelan Rated R (probably for Language and Brief Violence) "My Left Foot" feels like one of those movies designed to win Oscars and nothing else.  In fact, it did win two Oscars for the immortal Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, but apart from their strong work, there's not much else to remember about this movie.  It's well-acted, but all in all it's pretty dull. Christy Brown (Day-Lewis) is getting recognized for his work in order to raise money for the disabled.  Despite being a talented artist and writer, Christy is not the ideal candidate for the job.  He's an alcoholic jerk who makes no secret of his lust for women nor is he above using his disability to manipulate people into doing what he wants.  Interspersed with his attempts to seduce a woman tasked with looking after him while he awaits his entrance are vignettes from his childhood.  Most notably how his mothe...
Read more