---
title: "The Woman King"
year: 2022
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-woman-king"
fi1m_id: "the-woman-king"
imdb_id: "tt8093700"
tmdb_id: 724495
wikidata_id: "Q109905743"
fi1m_score: 72
critics_score: 75
critics_reviews: 27
published: "2026-09-30T21:57:21.086056+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-30T21:57:33.261300+00:00"
region: "EC"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Woman King (2022)

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood · 2h 15m · Action, Drama, History, War

## Identity

The Woman King

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-woman-king
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-woman-king
- **IMDb ID:** tt8093700
- **TMDB ID:** 724495
- **Wikidata ID:** Q109905743
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8093700/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/724495, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q109905743

**Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 75 from 27 reviews

*In a sentence:* Viola Davis leads the finest infantry in West Africa against the Oyo, the Portuguese and a Hollywood third act, in rising order of difficulty

> Gina Prince-Bythewood’s account of Dahomey’s all-female regiment is handsomely built, hard-hitting in its fights and carried by Viola Davis and Lashana Lynch. The script keeps tidying the history and the romance to make things easier, and the film is smaller for it.

## Synopsis

West Africa, 1823. The kingdom of Dahomey pays tribute to the Oyo Empire, whose raiders seize villagers and sell them to Portuguese traders at the port of Ouidah. Dahomey’s defence is the Agojie, a regiment of women commanded by General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who wants the newly crowned King Ghezo (John Boyega) to refuse the tribute and stop selling captives himself. Into the palace comes Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), delivered by a father who cannot marry her off, and she joins the recruits drilled by Izogie (Lashana Lynch) while Amenza (Sheila Atim) keeps Nanisca’s counsel. As the Oyo, led by Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya), gather to attack, the recruits train for their final test, and the slaver Santo Ferreira (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) lands at Ouidah with a young man, Malik (Jordan Bolger), who catches Nawi’s eye.

## Review

*The Woman King* is set in the West African kingdom of Dahomey in 1823, and it is about the Agojie, a regiment of women who fought for its kings. Nanisca (Viola Davis) is their general, scarred, unsmiling and aware she is near the end of her usefulness. Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) is a girl dropped at the palace gate by a father who has failed to marry her off. Between them stands Izogie (Lashana Lynch), who trains the recruits and enjoys it. Gina Prince-Bythewood, who made *Love & Basketball* and *The Old Guard*, directs it as an old-fashioned war film with a training camp in the middle, and for most of its 135 minutes it is a good one. It is let down by a script that keeps making things easier than they were.

It opens in tall grass at night. An Oyo raiding party sits around its fires with the villagers it has taken, and the grass rises. Polly Morgan shoots the raid in low firelight, the Agojie’s dark tunics nearly black against it, and Terilyn A. Shropshire cuts on the blows rather than around them, so you see the machete land. We sat up. There is no music for the first stretch, only breath and metal, and when Terence Blanchard’s drums come in the film has already told you what it is.

Davis plays Nanisca as a woman who has spent years not talking about something, and Prince-Bythewood lets the camera stay on her while she does not talk about it. The performance is mostly stillness and the occasional flinch, and it is the reason the melodrama later on does not fall over. Lynch is the best thing in the film. Izogie drinks, jokes, corrects Nawi’s footwork with a stick and kills people, and Lynch makes all of that one person without visible effort. Mbedu, who has to grow up in front of us, is stubborn and quick and never merely plucky. Sheila Atim, as Nanisca’s confidante Amenza, does a good deal with few lines. John Boyega’s King Ghezo is a young man enjoying a throne he has only just taken, and Boyega plays the vanity and the intelligence at the same time.

Gersha Phillips’s costumes are the film’s strongest evidence that it knows where it is: the regiment’s tunics are cut for running, and the palace women’s wrappers and beads mark rank without a line of dialogue. Akin McKenzie’s palace is mud walls, carved doors and courtyards of red earth, and it looks lived in rather than displayed. The training scenes, with recruits hauling themselves over thorn walls and fighting each other in the dust, are the heart of the middle hour. We enjoyed them more than most of the battles that follow.

Dana Stevens’s script, from a story by Stevens and Maria Bello, keeps reaching for the tidiest option. Nawi is given a romance with Malik (Jordan Bolger), a half-Dahomean man who arrives at Ouidah with the Portuguese slaver Santo Ferreira (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), and it plays like a scene borrowed from another film that had more time for it. The Oyo general Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya) is a sneer on a horse. The plotting relies more than once on the right person being in the right place with the right piece of knowledge. We noticed each time, and the film sailed on.

Then there is the history. Dahomey sold captives to European traders, and the film knows it: Nanisca spends the first act urging Ghezo to trade palm oil instead. But the story is arranged so that the Oyo do the selling and Dahomey does the resisting, and that arrangement flatters its heroes more than the record does. Some critics have found this fatal. We did not; a war film in which the good side is entirely good is the genre’s oldest habit, and Prince-Bythewood at least puts the argument on screen. It does leave the film smaller than it wants to be, a rousing story told where a harder one was available.

The last act, which we will not describe, swaps the film’s questions for a siege, and Shropshire cuts the big battle cleanly enough that you always know where Nanisca is. Against the run of films about soldiers drilled and then sent into the field, it sits comfortably: better acted than most, better dressed than nearly all, and no braver in its story than the average. Watch it for Lynch, for Davis’s face, and for the first ten minutes, which are as good as anything Prince-Bythewood has shot.

*Fi1m score 72, published 30 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics come away pleased. The reviews describe a rousing, old-fashioned action epic and largely mean that as a compliment. The praise lands first on Viola Davis, whose lead is called commanding and quietly melancholy in roughly equal measure, and then on the ensemble around her: Thuso Mbedu’s rookie warrior, Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim are singled out repeatedly. The battle sequences draw consistent approval for their physical force and clear staging, and several critics admire the production design and costumes.

The reservations are about the script rather than the screen. Several reviews find the plot familiar, the romance tacked on and the middle stretch slow. The sharper dispute is over history: The AV Club says the film’s handling of slavery produces jarring shifts in tone, Vulture finds it conflicted by the tensions it raises, and The New Yorker judges its portrayal of Dahomey’s role in the slave trade seriously distorted. Slant calls it stale. The spread is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

## Straight answers

**Is The Woman King worth watching?**

*The Woman King* is worth watching if you like an old-fashioned war film with a training camp in the middle, and we scored it 72. Viola Davis and Lashana Lynch carry it, the opening raid is as good as anything Gina Prince-Bythewood has shot, and the script keeps making the history and the romance easier than they were.

**How long is The Woman King, and what is it rated?**

*The Woman King* runs 2h 15m. It is an action and drama film.

**Where can I watch The Woman King in Ecuador?**

*The Woman King* is not on any streaming or rental service in Ecuador at the moment. It is available in 50 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is The Woman King, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Woman King* is a 15 in the UK, and its fights are hard-hitting: the editing cuts on the blows rather than around them, so you see the machete land. It is a war film about a regiment defending its people from slave raiders, with battles, a siege and drilled recruits fighting in the dust. It is not for young children, but older teenagers used to war films should manage it.

**How does The Woman King compare to Black Panther?**

*The Woman King* and [*Black Panther*](https://film.one/film/black-panther) both put an all-female royal guard at the centre of a kingdom arguing about its past, but one is history and the other is Marvel. Prince-Bythewood's film is better acted and its fights are the more physical; Coogler's is the larger, more inventive world. Both are let down by their final battles.

**What should I watch after The Woman King?**

After *The Woman King*, try [*Black Panther*](https://film.one/film/black-panther) (2018, Fi1m 80): Another all-female royal guard, and a kingdom arguing with itself about its past. Then [*Gladiator*](https://film.one/film/gladiator) (2000, Fi1m 84): The old model: a scarred general, an arena, a script that flatters the hero; and [*Yeelen*](https://film.one/film/yeelen) (1987, Fi1m 84): Souleymane Cissé’s Malian quest film, slower and stranger, with the landscape doing the talking.

### Reviews we read (27)

- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (5/5): The review finds the film a groundbreaking, rousing action epic, while acknowledging its wish-fulfilment ending. It especially praises Viola Davis’s subtle performance and the depth added by the outstanding ensemble cast. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-woman-king-movie-review-viola-davis-lashana-lynch-b1030386.html)
- **Little White Lies**, Rógan Graham (4/5/5): The review calls the film a quietly radical, crowd-pleasing action epic and a rare cinematic event. It especially praises Viola Davis’s raw lead performance and the relationship between her character and Thuso Mbedu’s rookie warrior. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-woman-king)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (85/100, inferred): Newland finds the film a vivid, unusually affecting historical action drama. She praises its forceful portrayal of Black womanhood and its breathtaking combat sequences. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-john-boyega-1899111?ico=related_stories)
- **Radio Times**, James Mottram (80/100, inferred): The review presents the film as an entertaining historical epic that deserves a lively audience response. It singles out the performances as terrific. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-woman-king-review/)
- **Time Out**, Anna Smith (4/5): The critic calls the film epic entertainment. She singles out Viola Davis as a mighty warrior woman. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-woman-king-2022)
- **Empire**, Kambole Campbell (78/100, inferred): The review finds the film an entertaining, sumptuous throwback to classic Hollywood epics, despite some script and pacing stumbles. It particularly praises the cast’s performances and the thrilling, physically forceful action choreography. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-woman-king/)
- **Screen Daily**, Tim Grierson (78/100, inferred): The review presents the film as an impressive, action-driven warrior epic. It singles out Viola Davis as stunning in the lead role. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-woman-king-toronto-review/5174330.article)
- **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland (B): Erbland finds the film an entertaining, worthwhile Hollywood action epic, while arguing that stories like it should not be so rare. She praises its vivid setting, exciting battle sequences, and strong ensemble performances, though she criticizes some contrived plot and romance elements. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-1234759337/)
- **The AV Club**, Jordan Hoffman (B): Hoffman finds the film entertaining and nearly great, but says its treatment of slavery creates jarring tonal shifts and a hollow ending. He praises the cast, especially Thuso Mbedu, and the richly designed production and striking cinematography. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/woman-king-movie-review-viola-davis-john-boyega-1849532158)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (75/100, inferred): Chang finds the film a forceful, exhilarating action-drama, though its history and characters could use more depth. He especially praises the performances of Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim and Lashana Lynch, and the vivid production design and costumes. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-09-15/woman-king-review-viola-davis-gina-prince-bythewood)
- **The Guardian**, Benjamin Lee (75/100, inferred): The critic calls it a sturdy, rousing piece of studio entertainment, though the action could use more fight scenes. They praise the ensemble’s performances, especially Thuso Mbedu’s bold, emotionally wide-ranging turn. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/10/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-rules-over-rousing-action-epic)
- **Sight and Sound** (70/100, inferred): The review sees the film as idealised historical mythmaking that turns Dahomey’s past into an allegory for liberation, equality and progress. It praises the adventure epic’s feminist call to arms and its portrayal of women warriors, while noting its liberties with history. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/woman-king-must-history-intrude-such-heady-mythmaking)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Lovia Gyarkye (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film narratively muddled but entertaining and technically brilliant. She particularly praises Viola Davis’s nuanced performance and the film’s energetic action and production design. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-woman-king-viola-davis-gina-prince-bythewood-thuso-mbedu-1235215820/)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (70/100, inferred): Debruge finds the film stirring and compelling, though somewhat stodgy and less effective than its historical ambitions suggest. He especially praises Viola Davis’s commanding performance and the Agojie ensemble’s training and battle sequences. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-1235367711/)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (66/100, inferred): The URL identifies this as a review of The Woman King. The page text is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/movies/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Kenji Fujishima (2.5/4): The review sees the film as crowd-pleasing but stale, relying on familiar plot beats and regressive ideas about warfare and revenge. It praises the battle sequences’ visual staging and the performers’ commitment, especially alongside the lush costumes. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis/)
- **Vulture**, Alison Willmore (50/100, inferred): Willmore finds the film rousing but conflicted, with its historical and political tensions limiting its broader ambitions. She praises the Agojie’s dynamics and the cast, especially Lashana Lynch’s performance and Viola Davis’s melancholy portrayal of Nanisca. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-conflicted-thrills-of-the-woman-king.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Julian Lucas (30/100, inferred): Lucas finds the film exhilarating and praises its performances and tender sisterhood, but judges its historical distortions deeply damaging. He especially objects to its portrayal of Dahomey as resisting the slave trade while condemning Oyo for participating in it. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/sisterhood-and-slavery-in-the-woman-king)
- **Collider**, Chase Hutchinson (A-): The critic finds the film a joyous, emotionally grounded historical epic, with only a rushed romance holding it back. They especially praise Prince-Bythewood’s precise, exhilarating battle sequences and Viola Davis’s commanding performance. [Read](https://collider.com/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis/)
- **Consequence**, Carys Anderson (85/100, inferred): Anderson finds the film a genuine epic rather than a shallow empowerment project. She praises its magnetic cast and especially its brutal, compellingly staged battle scenes. [Read](https://consequence.net/2022/09/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (80/100, inferred): Wilkinson finds the film an emotionally compelling action epic, despite some sprawl and a romance that feels tacked on. She particularly praises the fierce emotional sparring between the women, which she says holds the attention. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-woman-king-2022-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (8/10): The critic calls the film a powerful, emotionally exhilarating crowd-pleaser. They single out Lashana Lynch’s warm, funny, deadly performance and the energetic action for particular praise. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1001904/the-woman-king-review-a-rousing-historical-epic-with-great-action-and-even-better-characters-tiff/)
- **Polygon**, Katie Rife (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a warm, rousing blockbuster that complicates its historical story while celebrating Black women and culture. She especially praises the warmth and depth of the Agojie’s bonds, which she finds more inspiring than the battle scenes. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23349229/the-woman-king-review/)
- **Paste**, Kevin Fox Jr. (7.8/10): The review finds the film valuable, exciting, and successful despite occasional tonal and narrative excesses. It especially praises the immersive, well-choreographed action and the performers’ commitment. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/viola-davis/the-woman-king-review)
- **NME** (75/100, inferred): The review finds the film a crowd-pleasing, rousing adventure despite conventional storytelling and blurred historical accuracy. It singles out the performances, especially Viola Davis, and the forceful action direction for praise. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis-3324075)
- **Deadline**, Valerie Complex (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film engaging overall, despite awkward editing and a slow middle. They praise the ensemble performances and the vivid production design and costumes. [Read](https://deadline.com/2022/09/toronto-review-gina-prince-bythewood-the-woman-king-1235113891/)
- **The Wrap**, Carlos Aguilar (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a crowd-pleasing, meaningful action story, despite its reliance on familiar tropes. They particularly praise Viola Davis’s nuanced performance and the film’s thoughtful portrayal of strength and vulnerability. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-woman-king-review-viola-davis/)

## Details

- **Director:** Gina Prince-Bythewood
- **Director:** Gina Prince-Bythewood
- **Screenplay:** Dana Stevens
- **Story:** Maria Bello, Dana Stevens
- **Cinematography:** Polly Morgan
- **Editor:** Terilyn A. Shropshire
- **Music:** Terence Blanchard
- **Production design:** Akin McKenzie
- **Costume design:** Gersha Phillips
- **Producer:** Cathy Schulman, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon
- **Cast:** Viola Davis as Nanisca; Thuso Mbedu as Nawi; Lashana Lynch as Izogie; Sheila Atim as Amenza; John Boyega as King Ghezo; Jordan Bolger as Malik; Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Santo Ferreira; Jimmy Odukoya as Oba Ade
- **Runtime:** 2h 15m
- **First release (Canada):** 9 September 2022
- **Genres:** Action, Drama, History, War
- **Budget:** $50 million
- **Box office:** $98 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RDaPV_rJ1Y

## Where to watch in Ecuador

Not streaming, renting or buying in Ecuador at the last check.

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Old Guard* (2020): Prince-Bythewood’s previous film: immortal soldiers, the same clean fight staging, less history to smooth.
- *Black Panther* (2018), Fi1m 80: Another all-female royal guard, and a kingdom arguing with itself about its past. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/black-panther.md)
- *Gladiator* (2000), Fi1m 84: The old model: a scarred general, an arena, a script that flatters the hero. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/gladiator.md)
- *Yeelen* (1987), Fi1m 84: Souleymane Cissé’s Malian quest film, slower and stranger, with the landscape doing the talking. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/yeelen.md)
- *Zulu* (1964): The colonial war film from the other side of the wall, worth watching against this one.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-woman-king