King Woman ★★½
ACTION (2022)
Directed by: Gina Prince-Bythewood
InterpretationsCast: Viola Davis, Lasanna Lynch, John Boyega

Of the actresses who have played a wide variety of roles in their careers and even beyond their first teens, Viola Davis starred in an epic film this week about characters with strong feminist references.

The director of The Old Guard, Gina Prince-Bythewood, travels here somewhere between myth and the (very turbulent) history of the African continent, namely in the 19th century in the kingdom of Dahomey – today’s Benin – where the Agoji, a group of elite warriors, the pride of the local army and the horror of its enemies.

“These female fighters were ruthless. The colonialists considered them masculine or monstrous, based on their own view of women.”

When a young girl wants to join their ranks, she will have to go through difficult physical and mental tests and, above all, win the trust of the legendary General Naniska (Viola Davis).

With a rather rich production, the film vividly tells the story of these African Amazons, from the rigors of training to the very battle, where they prove that they are not only equal, but superior to male warriors.

In any case, apart from the action and the war, the depiction of colonialism and (mostly) the slave trade is even more interesting. Being in constant strife, which, of course, inspired by the Europeans, Africans offer their compatriots as prisoners of war, as goods to the whites.

With death or slavery approaching, joining Agoja’s proud body seems like a promise of freedom.

“These female fighters were ruthless. They did not fit the image of a woman either of their time or ours. The colonialists considered them masculine or monstrous, based on their own view of women and Africa itself. Meanwhile, they were very proud of being fighters. It was their destiny.”

However, unlike Agoji, the film has a few vulnerabilities. Its long duration – more than two hours – does not help to maintain the rhythm, and the socio-ethnological reference in places is too fragmentary and pretentiously didactic.

Also, it’s hard to believe the ferocity and intensity of the battle without a trace of blood on the screen, which of course is due to the “over 13” rating that comes with the film.