Viola Davis is the Woman King and her performance is epic. Taking on the role of one of the toughest women in African history, Davis carries herself well as she captures both dialect and attitude to fully embrace that of Nanisca, leader of the all female warriors enlisted to bring justice to the Englishmen who enslaved African villagers.
Davis is not alone as the entire cast carries the heart of the film, including young actress, Thuso Mbedu (Scandal) who we instantly see as an emerging warrior who goes from scared little girl to tough chick. Even the brief love interest that develops doesn’t stop Mbedu from her ultimate mission as she and Davis truly have an exceptionally mother- daughter bond that shines through all the violence and drama of The Woman King.
The third piece of the puzzle that solidifies this movie and definitely makes it worthy of Oscar notice is John Boyega who captures the regal nature of the King. He carries himself with dignity and even when Davis’ character goes against his demands in a last attempt to rescue her warriors, he still prevails and recognizes the greater good over all.
All in all, at 2 hours and 15 minutes, The Woman King is the perfect movie that will have you on the edge of your seats. It’s packed with drama, adventure and a little bit of punch that will have you cheering for Viola Davis’ team of rough and tough warriors of the Amazon. The film opened for a Thursday night crowd on September 16 and is currently playing in a theater near you. You don’t want to miss this action packed film about the all female Amazon warriors.
