The Woman King

Can we just STFU about ‘historical distortion”? Every film ever made with any historical content is guilty of historical distortion, the question is how much distortion will film-makers and audiences accept? Yes, we should get our history from proper history books, but let’s not pretend that exciting cinematic depictions of historical events can’t change minds and influence people.That’s why we make them.

‘Oh no, not the nuts!’ is an uncharacteristically funny line spoken by General Nanisca (Viola Davis), the leader of a group of all female warriors in the West African kingdom of Dahomey circa 1823. In service of the erratic King Ghezo (John Boyega), Nanisca kicks ass and takes names with her well-drilled unit, but their Oya enemies are making an alliance with Portuguese slave-traders, and the balance of power is shifting. Alongside her veteran sidekick Izogie (Lashana Lynch), Nanisca will have to use of her fighting and diplomatic skills to keep her and her kingdom’s cause going.

‘With gunpowder, you don’t need a gun, just a spark,’ says Nanisca, and she’s right; the idea of freedom is what’s about to explode, and Nanisca’s highly trained army are right at the centre of it. This dynamic is complicated by the revelation that Nanisca’s daughter Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) is amongst her elite squad, but Nanisca’s philosophy is strong and simple enough to make sure that there’s no contradiction or hypocrisy; in her world, everything has to be earned.

While some of the action beats and last minute rescuse are hackneyed in the old Hollywood traditions, Gina-Prince Bytheswood’s film is anything but a hard watch, with big, fresh action scenes and impressive hand-to-hand combat. Lynch in particular excels in a memorable, inspiring role, and Davis embodies her tough-nut protagonist in a forthright way that’s never quite been seen before. Watching the women sharpen their nails into weapons before combat tells you everything about The Woman King; it goes all in as a popular entertainment, rolling back the male-dominance of the action genre and replacing it with something smart, dynamic and female driven.

The Woman King may have the same narrative flaws as the best blockbuster actions films do, but that’s not a problem when the narrative is so persuasive. I can’t say that it distorts my view of West African history in the 1820’s because I didn’t know enough about it before due to the historical bias that already exists in the way history has been taught. Those who seek to knock women’s cinema will have to come up with a different excuse not to like such powerful, likable films like The Woman King, since this ongoing argument doesn’t leave a scratch.