Film

The Woman King

Name: The Woman King
Genre: Action, Drama, History, War
Released: 2022
Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega

War action

A rousing historical action film about the Agojie, Dahomey's legendary all-female warrior unit. Viola Davis leads with commanding presence as General Nanisca, training recruits for brutal combat against slave traders. It's propulsive, visually assured, and unapologetically built around women as action heroes—operatic in scale, intimate in its character moments.

TMDb rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a historical action epic built around a specific, little-told fighting force, and you don't mind the big set pieces being played straight alongside a story about loyalty and the cost of command.

Skip it if you need your war films lean and restrained, since this runs over two hours and leans on sweeping speeches and stirring swells a quieter film would skip.

What it asks of you: It runs a steady two hours and fifteen, unhurried in the training scenes and heavy with weight when the battles come, rarely lightening its mood.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Black Panther2018

A similarly mythic historical-fantasy with stunning visual language and a charismatic ensemble cast. Explores power, legacy, and what a nation owes its people with real thematic weight beneath the spectacle.

But Slower pacing in parts, and the final act's CGI feels less grounded than the practical combat you see in The Woman King.

Candyman2021

Nia DaCosta directs a film that grounds historical horror in Black American experience with unflinching clarity. Like The Woman King, it refuses to sanitise its subject—slavery and violence are visceral, not abstract.

But More psychological thriller than action film; the pace is deliberate and the scares are cumulative rather than kinetic.

The Last Duel2021

Ridley Scott's richly detailed medieval warfare with strong female perspective. The action sequences are brutal and tactical rather than gymnastic, and the film trusts you to sit with uncomfortable moral questions.

But Three-hour runtime with sections that slow to courtroom drama; some find the tonal shifts jarring.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Woman King

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Legionnaire1998

Both pit soldiers against overwhelming odds in desert combat. The Woman King has resonance and texture, but Legionnaire's unglamorous efficiency—this is what training and tactics *actually* look like—echoes through it.

Van Damme as a French Foreign Legionnaire in North Africa, fighting sandstorms and mercenaries. A late-nineties action film with practical stunt work, genuine location shooting, and economy of storytelling. Pure genre craft before superhero scaling took over.

But Dated action grammar feels hokey now; the plot is tissue-thin and the script is clunky. It's a period piece in how action films felt, not in historical setting.

Gladiator2000

The template for historical action epics—sweeping in scope, grounded in character, with Ridley Scott's eye for visceral combat. A single protagonist's journey through impossible odds and moral compromise.

But Masculinity is central in ways The Woman King subverts; some action beats feel dated now.

19172019

A war film that prioritises continuous tension and technical mastery. One-shot aesthetic creates immersion; you feel the weight of every step soldiers take and every choice they make.

But Minimal plot complexity; character development takes a back seat to momentum and spectacle.

Queen of Katwe2016

Mira Nair directs Lupita Nyong'o in a story about a girl transcending impossible circumstance through intelligence and will. Warm, character-driven, with real stakes—inspirational without feeling false.

But Lower budget shows; the pacing is gentler and less kinetic than what you're drawn to.

The Harder They Fall2021

A western remake centring Black gunfighters with vibrant style, ensemble chemistry, and action sequences that crackle. Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba are magnetic; the film delights in its own swag.

But Narrative is thinner than spectacle; the plot hits expected beats without much surprise.

All the Light We Cannot See2023

A WWII miniseries with intimate storytelling and sumptuous cinematography. Two young people on opposite sides of war; the show earns its emotional power through patience and detail.

But Limited action and combat; the appeal is introspection, dialogue, and visual beauty rather than momentum.

For All Mankind2019

An alternate-history series with impeccable production design and a large ensemble cast facing moral choices under pressure. Episodes build tension methodically; there's real consequence to failure.

But Slow burn with significant downtime between action peaks; some threads feel secondary to others.

Moolaadé2004

Both centre women warriors fighting to protect their people. Sembène's warriors use community, voice, and solidarity where Nanisca uses blades. Same war, different weapons.

Ousmane Sembène's film about West African women resisting ritual genital cutting. Shot with documentary clarity and moral precision. The courage required is internal rather than martial, but the stakes are as high as any war film—survival of a way of life, female bodily autonomy, defiance of power structures.

But Slow, dialogue-heavy, and rooted in specific cultural practice that may initially feel distant. No action sequences; the drama is conversational and philosophical.

Venom2018

Both pit traumatised protagonists with complex relationships to violence against powerful enemies. The Woman King is disciplined where Venom is unhinged, but they share curiosity about whether the damaged can protect others, and whether vengeance can transmute into justice.

Tom Hardy's symbiote-possessed anti-hero fighting bigger forces from the margins. The film is formally sloppy but tonally anarchic—it has no interest in your approval, just in being itself. Hardy's commitment to the ridiculous is infectious; the action is chaotic and strange.

But Poor script, choppy editing, and tonal whiplash between comedy and violence. Many find it poorly made and enjoy it anyway; others just find it poorly made.