Netflix recently put The Woman King on its streaming service after a successful theatrical run, which recently culminated in a number of film awards nominations. For many Netflix viewers, this will be the first time they’ve ever interacted in any way with Western African history. While some experts on the topic have argued that the film oversimplifies historical events, it is important that the popularity of The Woman King allows future films about African history to be made by native filmmakers and those of the wider African diaspora.
The story of Namisca (Viola Davis) leading the Agojie, a real-life army of women warriors, who protected King Gezo of Dahomey (John Boyega) is indeed based on history, but the backstory of the conflict with the Oyo Empire and the slave trade represented by Oba (Jimmy Odukoya) is much more complicated. While the Dahomey Empire was indeed paying tributes to the larger Oyo Empire,...
The story of Namisca (Viola Davis) leading the Agojie, a real-life army of women warriors, who protected King Gezo of Dahomey (John Boyega) is indeed based on history, but the backstory of the conflict with the Oyo Empire and the slave trade represented by Oba (Jimmy Odukoya) is much more complicated. While the Dahomey Empire was indeed paying tributes to the larger Oyo Empire,...
- 2/28/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Eight years into the existence of their Best Film Stunt Ensemble category, the Screen Actors Guild bestowed the award upon a female-directed movie for the first time. This historic moment involved Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” (2015) which has since been emulated by Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” (2018) and “Wonder Woman 1984” (2021). Now, following the losses of Cate Shortland’s “Black Widow” and Lana Wachowski’s “The Matrix Resurrections” last year, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King” has a strong shot at becoming the fourth addition to the list.
Set in 1820s West Africa, “The Woman King” tells the partially fact-based story of the Agojie, an all-female warrior group fiercely dedicated to defending the kingdom of Dahomey. The plot progresses through the perspectives of General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who has accumulated more than two decades of fighting experience, and new recruit Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), whose participation in this noble cause helps her unlock the secrets of her past.
Set in 1820s West Africa, “The Woman King” tells the partially fact-based story of the Agojie, an all-female warrior group fiercely dedicated to defending the kingdom of Dahomey. The plot progresses through the perspectives of General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who has accumulated more than two decades of fighting experience, and new recruit Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), whose participation in this noble cause helps her unlock the secrets of her past.
- 2/23/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
To mark the release of The Woman King on 13th February, we’ve been given a Blu-ray copy to give away to 1 winner.
The ever-brilliant Viola Davis stars as General Nansica, the formidable leader of an all-female army known as the Agojie. This sisterhood’s fierceness is unlike anything the world has ever seen. When West African leader Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya) and Portuguese colonizer Santo Ferreira (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) come to the shores of Dahomey it is up to the General to train the next generation of young fighters to defend their lands or lose their kingdom and freedom forever.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 16th February 2023 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available To coincide with Gdpr regulations,...
The ever-brilliant Viola Davis stars as General Nansica, the formidable leader of an all-female army known as the Agojie. This sisterhood’s fierceness is unlike anything the world has ever seen. When West African leader Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya) and Portuguese colonizer Santo Ferreira (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) come to the shores of Dahomey it is up to the General to train the next generation of young fighters to defend their lands or lose their kingdom and freedom forever.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Small Print
Open to UK residents only The competition will close 16th February 2023 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available To coincide with Gdpr regulations,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
In the opening sequence of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,” there is a moment in which Nanisca (Viola Davis) slings her machete over her shoulder and stares down the small encampment of men she and her coterie of female soldiers are about to attack. Not an ounce of fear pierces through her steely eyes nor flashes across her stone face, since, clearly, she has fought many battles, both emotional and physical, and walked away from each one a bit more hardened than when she marched into it. Yet her icy demeanor is caked in a thick enough layer of weariness for you to know that with every one, she has been forced to leave behind a small part of herself on the battlefield. From the second she is introduced, you have a firm grasp on who Nanisca is, thanks to Davis’ lived-in performance — one that would make her a worthy Best Actress Oscar nominee.
- 1/12/2023
- by Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s West African epic “The Woman King” begins with a combat sequence that uses action to show us both who the characters are as individuals and as a troop of elite warriors. We see how Izogie (Lashana Lynch), Amenza (Sheila Atim), and Nanisca (Viola Davis) — leaders of the Agojie, the all-female bodyguard of King Ghezo of Dahomey (John Boyega) in the early 19th century — all emphasize different movement and weapon styles and still intuitively fight together. They’re completely in sync as they carve through a village aligned with their enemy, the Oyo, which has taken Dahomey prisoners in order to sell them into slavery. The Agojie aren’t defined by impressive formations, mechanical efficiency, or physics-defying feats. They’re defined by respective prowesses that fit like puzzle pieces into the unit’s overall power; that collective confidence is what makes every single Agojie feel like a hero.
- 11/22/2022
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
After weeks without many exciting new film releases, Sony is hoping that Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King” can inject some energy into the box office. The Viola Davis-led period epic was a crowd pleaser when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and early responses suggest it might be primed to have similar success during its theatrical release. The film has officially received an A+ CinemaScore grade, revealing that audiences are embracing the film in America as much as they did in Toronto.
We hit theaters to poll @WomanKingMovie and audiences gave it an A+! Congrats to @violadavis, @SonyPictures, and the rest of the cast and crew! Will you be catching this one? #CinemaScore pic.twitter.com/Pqnwyr84gH
— CinemaScore (@CinemaScore) September 17, 2022
“The Woman King” is the 91st film to receive a perfect grade from CinemaScore. Since the poll is conducted from people who were already interested...
We hit theaters to poll @WomanKingMovie and audiences gave it an A+! Congrats to @violadavis, @SonyPictures, and the rest of the cast and crew! Will you be catching this one? #CinemaScore pic.twitter.com/Pqnwyr84gH
— CinemaScore (@CinemaScore) September 17, 2022
“The Woman King” is the 91st film to receive a perfect grade from CinemaScore. Since the poll is conducted from people who were already interested...
- 9/17/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The Woman King Review — The Woman King (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, written by Dana Stevens and starring Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jimmy Odukoya, Masali Baduza, Jayme Lawson, Adrienne Warren, Chioma Antoinette Umeala, Shaina West, Sivuyile Ngesi and Angelique Kidjo. Viola [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: The Woman King (2022): Viola Davis Commands the Viewer’s Attention in a Solid, Epic Action Picture...
Continue reading: Film Review: The Woman King (2022): Viola Davis Commands the Viewer’s Attention in a Solid, Epic Action Picture...
- 9/17/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
“The Woman King” has stormed into theaters. The 1800s West Africa-set story was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Old Guard”), with a story by Maria Bello and script by Dana Stevens. Star and producer Viola Davis and Prince-Bythewood have discussed in several interviews the long journey it took to get this story on the big screen.
Davis leads an incredible cast of actors, which we will detail below. Costume designer Gersha Phillips outfitted the fierce female warriors as well as their male counterparts and the other characters in the film. The action-packed film sees Davis take on some of the intense stunts and choreography by Daniel Hernandez, alongside many other women warriors who are not afraid to get their hand dirty.
Fans of Viola Davis and other names mentioned below may be wondering how and when to watch “The Woman King,” and we’ve rounded up all the details.
Davis leads an incredible cast of actors, which we will detail below. Costume designer Gersha Phillips outfitted the fierce female warriors as well as their male counterparts and the other characters in the film. The action-packed film sees Davis take on some of the intense stunts and choreography by Daniel Hernandez, alongside many other women warriors who are not afraid to get their hand dirty.
Fans of Viola Davis and other names mentioned below may be wondering how and when to watch “The Woman King,” and we’ve rounded up all the details.
- 9/16/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
“The Woman King” was reviewed by TheWrap out of the Toronto International Film Festival.
At first pass, “The Woman King” recalls those classic Disney animated fables. Though inspired by real-life warriors who guarded the Kingdom of Dahomey in 19th-century West Africa, the film hits many familiar notes: Ancient mythical land! Palace intrigue! Rebellious orphan! Tough-love mentors! Coming of age! Prince charming! Wicked villain! Good vs. evil showdown! It’s just that here, the tropes aren’t metaphors at all and the story isn’t an allegory.
In the Sony Pictures release, Oscar winner Viola Davis stars as General Nanisca, commander of the Agojie, an all-female army, and adviser to the young King Ghezo (John Boyega), who has recently ascended to the throne. The kingdom has been at war with the Oyo Empire, which routinely kidnaps Dahomey’s people and auctions them off to slave traders. Ghezo is himself complicit in this human trafficking,...
At first pass, “The Woman King” recalls those classic Disney animated fables. Though inspired by real-life warriors who guarded the Kingdom of Dahomey in 19th-century West Africa, the film hits many familiar notes: Ancient mythical land! Palace intrigue! Rebellious orphan! Tough-love mentors! Coming of age! Prince charming! Wicked villain! Good vs. evil showdown! It’s just that here, the tropes aren’t metaphors at all and the story isn’t an allegory.
In the Sony Pictures release, Oscar winner Viola Davis stars as General Nanisca, commander of the Agojie, an all-female army, and adviser to the young King Ghezo (John Boyega), who has recently ascended to the throne. The kingdom has been at war with the Oyo Empire, which routinely kidnaps Dahomey’s people and auctions them off to slave traders. Ghezo is himself complicit in this human trafficking,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Martin Tsai
- The Wrap
Lashana Lynch, Viola Davis, and Shelia Atim in ‘The Woman King’
(Photo by Ilze Kitshoff © 2021 Ctmg, Inc)
Never underestimate the power of a woman, and that advice goes double when it comes to the powerhouse that is Viola Davis. The Oscar-winning actor is capable of delivering outstanding performances in any genre, and she adds badass action queen to her resume with The Woman King.
TriStar Pictures’ The Woman King features some of the most breathtaking fight sequences to unfold on the big screen in recent memory. And yes, you absolutely must see this in theaters on the largest screen possible. Masterfully choreographed and delivered with fierce, flawless intensity, the action sequences serve to punctuate but not overpower the incredible tale of the Agojie warriors – also known as the Dahomey Amazons – led by General Nanisca (Davis).
The year: 1823
The setting: West Africa, the Kingdom of Dahomey
A new ruler has been crowned and his fiercest warriors,...
(Photo by Ilze Kitshoff © 2021 Ctmg, Inc)
Never underestimate the power of a woman, and that advice goes double when it comes to the powerhouse that is Viola Davis. The Oscar-winning actor is capable of delivering outstanding performances in any genre, and she adds badass action queen to her resume with The Woman King.
TriStar Pictures’ The Woman King features some of the most breathtaking fight sequences to unfold on the big screen in recent memory. And yes, you absolutely must see this in theaters on the largest screen possible. Masterfully choreographed and delivered with fierce, flawless intensity, the action sequences serve to punctuate but not overpower the incredible tale of the Agojie warriors – also known as the Dahomey Amazons – led by General Nanisca (Davis).
The year: 1823
The setting: West Africa, the Kingdom of Dahomey
A new ruler has been crowned and his fiercest warriors,...
- 9/14/2022
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
The white men speak in subtitled Portuguese, while the proud members of various African tribes express themselves in English in “The Woman King,” a clear sign of where our allegiances belong in director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s sweeping early-19th-century war movie. It’s an Africa-set epic of the kind not seen since “Zulu,” only this time, the task of defending the Mother Continent rightfully falls to the locals, not their enslavers. This side of the story is long overdue, recasting Western civilization’s greatest shame as the atrocity that it was while celebrating those who opposed it. Modern as that sounds, the movie embraces the codes of mid-20th-century costume dramas: It’s stirring but slightly stodgy, designed to stand the test of time.
In her fiercest role yet, Viola Davis leads an army of elite women warriors, called the Agojie, who protect the kingdom of Dahomey from outside threat.
In her fiercest role yet, Viola Davis leads an army of elite women warriors, called the Agojie, who protect the kingdom of Dahomey from outside threat.
- 9/10/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The Woman King Review: A Rousing Historical Epic With Great Action And Even Better Characters [TIFF]
There's something very old school about "The Woman King." It's a sweeping, rousing, crowd-pleasing historical action-adventure epic the likes of which Hollywood doesn't make that much anymore, at least not well. It's familiar in a welcoming way. And yet, at the same time, this is also something groundbreaking. Because unlike the Hollywood epics of old, "The Woman King" features a cast made up almost entirely of Black women, and there's a Black woman, Gina Prince-Bythewood, behind the camera, too. Maybe one day we'll get to a point where such a movie doesn't feel groundbreaking, but here we are.
Even if it wasn't groundbreaking, "The Woman King" would still be an absolute blast. It's a film that isn't afraid to get you cheering, although much of the subject matter is often overwhelmingly harsh. The key to all of this is that Prince-Bythewood and screenwriter Dana Stevens have assembled a wonderful cast of memorable,...
Even if it wasn't groundbreaking, "The Woman King" would still be an absolute blast. It's a film that isn't afraid to get you cheering, although much of the subject matter is often overwhelmingly harsh. The key to all of this is that Prince-Bythewood and screenwriter Dana Stevens have assembled a wonderful cast of memorable,...
- 9/10/2022
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Gina Prince Bythewood’s period film The Woman King opens with an incredible action sequence with General Nanisca (Viola Davis) of The Agojie army approaching a village of men holding their women hostage. Men are getting sliced, diced and tossed across the screen by these mighty warrior women. After they arrive back in the Dahomey kingdom victorious, the story introduces Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), an unmarried young woman deemed worthless because she has no husband. She’s taken to the palace and introduced to Izogie (Lashana Lynch) and Amenza (Shiela Atim), Dahomey’s top soldiers in the King Ghezo Royal guard. Women in the army are respected, and when they pledge to service, they take an oath of celibacy and childlessness to be accepted and train.
Life is thriving for the Dahomey, but something is looming. There is an impending sense of dread that war against the slave-selling general of the...
Life is thriving for the Dahomey, but something is looming. There is an impending sense of dread that war against the slave-selling general of the...
- 9/10/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Viola Davis is no stranger to transformations. In the past couple years alone, she’s played DC’s Amanda Waller, Ma Rainey and even Michelle Obama. But in the warrior epic “The Woman King,” the trailer for which dropped Wednesday, Davis plays a character unlike any she’s played before.
Davis stars in the film as Nanisca, the general of the real all-female military unit known as the Agojie (also known as Amazons) in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Benin) in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The story is inspired by true events and follows Nanisca and Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), an ambitious recruit, as they fight enemies who have enslaved their people and violated their honor. The unit is the inspiration behind the Dora Milaje in “Black Panther,” and its story has never been told on screen before.
Davis told Vanity Fair that she underwent serious training for the physically demanding role.
Davis stars in the film as Nanisca, the general of the real all-female military unit known as the Agojie (also known as Amazons) in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Benin) in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The story is inspired by true events and follows Nanisca and Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), an ambitious recruit, as they fight enemies who have enslaved their people and violated their honor. The unit is the inspiration behind the Dora Milaje in “Black Panther,” and its story has never been told on screen before.
Davis told Vanity Fair that she underwent serious training for the physically demanding role.
- 7/6/2022
- by Sasha Urban
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Four-time Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo, Jimmy Odukoya, Thando Dlomo and Jordan Bolger have rounded out the ensemble of TriStar Pictures’ The Woman King, starring Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu. Lashana Lynch, Adrienne Warren and John Boyega are also on board with Gina Prince-Bythewood directing. eOne is on board to co-finance the pic.
Based on an original screenplay by Dana Stevens and current draft by Stevens and Prince-Bythewood, the film is being produced by Cathy Schulman though her Welle Entertainment. Davis and Julius Tennon of JuVee Productions and Maria Bello of Jack Blue Productions are also producing.
The film bows on Sept. 16, 2022. It is one of four upcoming films from Sony Pictures by African American filmmakers, including A Journal For Jordan, the George Foreman biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and The Woman King, with the latter two directed by women.
Kidjo is repped by Margrit Polak Management.
Based on an original screenplay by Dana Stevens and current draft by Stevens and Prince-Bythewood, the film is being produced by Cathy Schulman though her Welle Entertainment. Davis and Julius Tennon of JuVee Productions and Maria Bello of Jack Blue Productions are also producing.
The film bows on Sept. 16, 2022. It is one of four upcoming films from Sony Pictures by African American filmmakers, including A Journal For Jordan, the George Foreman biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and The Woman King, with the latter two directed by women.
Kidjo is repped by Margrit Polak Management.
- 11/9/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
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