Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s stirring and sprawling period-piece epic “The Woman King” is groundbreaking in that it tells the story of the legendary, real-life, all-female West African warrior unit known as the Agojie, but also quite traditional in that it follows the blueprint of blockbuster action sagas such as “Braveheart,” “Gladiator” and “Rob Roy.” Scene after scene, dramatic twist after dramatic twist, flashback after flashback, “The Woman King” takes a very familiar path — and yet there is one monumentally important difference here, and that of course is the presence of Viola Davis in the lead and a supporting cast consisting mostly of Black actors.
We’ve long known Davis can handle any type of part imaginable, and you can add the role of Badass Warrior General to the resumé. From the moment Davis’ Gen. Nanisca steps out of the shadows and into the night — her body marked by scars, her hair curled into a semi-Mohawk — as she twirls a formidable scimitar and leads her soldiers into a battle against a nearby tribe that has kidnapped and enslaved dozens of locals, we have zero doubt of her ferocity, her determination and her willingness to do whatever it takes in the name of victory. Nanisca is practically a god in the eyes of her troops and the people of the village, and rightfully so.
