Home Entertainment: ‘The Woman King’ Blu-ray review

Gina Prince-Bythewood directs this sweeping historical epic featuring superb performances across the board, particularly from lead Viola Davis who has never been better.

With The Old Guard, Prince-Bythewood more than proved she can direct action, but The Woman King takes things to another level with high-octane, brutal sequences from the off that will take your breath away. The action sequences come quick and often, presented with gusto and energy that’ll have you on the edge of your seat. I was really taken with it.

Set in 1823 in the West African kingdom of Dahomey, the story revolves around the Agojie, a badass group of female warriors headed by the fearless General Nanisca (Davis) who, from the outset, we can see absolutely takes no shit. She heads up a brigade of soldiers who liberate enslaved Dahomean women. They report to King Ghezo (John Boyega) who is preparing the next generation of fighters within the compounds of his palace. Again, all females, the future warriors will protect the kingdom at all costs, and among them is Nawi (a brilliant Thuso Mbedu) who has been offered to the king by her father after refusing the advances of wealthy men to become their bride. Nawa trains among the new recruits and soon captures the attention of respected elder Izogie (Lashanna Lynch), and ultimately Nanisca who sees her potential. Portuguese slave traders soon appear in Dahomey who threaten their way of life, and the group of women must unite to save their future and kingdom.

Coming in at a whopping two and quarter hours, The Women King suffers from some pacing issues, but the constant barrage of well-staged action sequences and deep subject matter propels the viewer through proceedings quite nicely. A career-best Davis – where was the Oscar nomination? – and stunning breakthrough performance by Mbedu make this compelling viewing.

Think Gladiator and Braveheart and you’ll be somewhere near the tone of this, though those movies, despite their bounty of awards, don’t match this sometimes brutal, often tense, though always commanding piece of cinema that truly is one of the stand-outs of the year.

Bonus features include feature commentary from Gina Prince-Bythewood and Teri, ‘Caterpillar’s Destruction: Viola Davis on Set’, which does exactly what it says – offering an interview with Davis and behind-the-scenes footage. The actor recounts the 6-year-long journey getting the film to the screen. The featurette has interviews with her co-stars, director Prince-Bythewood and more, and also goes into the brutal training Davis had to undergo in preparation. A ten-minute featurette ‘Representation Matters’ focuses on African history in the film and the connection to the modern day. ‘Storytellers is another ten-minute-ish look at Gina Prince-Bythewood’s process and work on the film’, and ‘Woman/ Warrior’ looks more in-depth at the cast and the training they all underwent for their characters.

All in all, a massive trove of BTS treasures that is definitely worthy of their inclusion and really interesting to watch after you’ve seen the main feature.

The Woman King is available digitally now and on Blu-Ray and DVD February 13^th from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.