DIRECTOR: Gina Prince-Bythewood
WRITERS: Dana Stevens (Screenplay) Maria Bello (Story by)
STARRING: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega
Moving, powerful, action-packed, and emotionally driven and draining…these are just a few of the adjectiives I would use to describe Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s new epic, THE WOMAN KING, as it takes us into the West African Kingdom of the Dahomey, and into the lives of King Ghezo’s (John Boyega) elite women fighters, the Agojei.
With Academy Award Winner Viola Davis cast as General Nanisca, we find her leading this group of elite fighters into battle, against the many forces that want to destroy Dahomey, and it’s way of life. But as General Nanisca’a fighters soon reveal, her fierce and loyal soldiers aren’t the women of the world that you want to mess with, as leaders Izogie (Lashana Lynch), Amenza (Sheila Atim) and newcomer to the group Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), muster enough strength and agility to take on anyone, who wants to effect change to their way of life, or to the King that they serve…
Now, as the struggles in the palace, seem to need as much attention as the slave owners that have come for more of their fellow Dahomians to trade, Nanisca and her army must face their mortal enemies head on, in an attempt to save their way of life, and the lives of their fellow sisters, any way they can…
I give THE WOMAN KING a rating of 5 out of 5 Stars: This is one of the most incredible films I have seen all year!! Of course, Viola Davis is perfectly cast in this role, just like she is in almost everything she she’s played in, only this time she is buff, agile, and ready for war!!! Her supporting cast in this film also doesn’t miss a beat across the board, as Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim and newcomer, and future rising star of cinema, Thuso Mbedu brought their A-game to this incredible film, in each and every way! This film is truly loaded with performance after performance that makes for an increbile entertainment experience, that you will not soon forget. I was also totally blown away by the action sequences of this film, as they are filled with nothing but vigor, strength and raw emotion. There is no CGI in the frames of this intensely moving creation, which is also filled with action sequence, after action sequence, portrayed at the hands (literally) of these actresses that make this shine off the screen. I have to admit going in, I was thinking even with Davis in the lead, this one might not be a top contender come awards season, but I was totally wrong there! Viola Davis should be getting a nod or two in the months to come for another superb performance, and I’m hoping youngster Thuso Mbedu is right their with her, as both their performances, and subsequent chemistry together on screen, is what masterful films are made of! And for the guys out there that are thinking this film is must be a total “Chick Flick”, think again, as THE WOMAN KING is filled with so much action, so much suspense, and so many twists and turns in this beautifully executed true-storyline, that you will find yourself being drawn into the power of this fabulous film as well, frame after frame…
5 out of 5 Stars
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 