The Woman King

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2:28

The Woman King

PG-13

2022

2h 15m

Action

Adventure

History

Drama

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

277 Reviews

99%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Verified Ratings

The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for....

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Critics Consensus

All hail Viola Davis! The Woman King rules.

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Audience Says

With a fantastic cast and an action-packed story that also manages to be meaningful, The Woman King makes it reign.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

Sep 18, 2024

4/5

The Woman King is more than just a historical action film; it is a genuinely rare example of breathing life into the past with verve and imagination.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

Oct 28, 2022

4/5

The dialogue is generic -- the formal kind constructed to suit all periods -- but the actors give it all the authenticity it needs, clearly delighted by the ebullience of their characters.

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Jordan Hoffman

AV Club

Oct 19, 2022

It is a film designed to inspire audiences and elicit cheers and, by and large, it succeeds.

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Samantha Schuster

Cinéfilo Serial

Sep 30, 2025

3.5/5

Not only is it an entertaining film that is sustained by its good action scenes and the performances of a mostly female cast, but it is also emotional and inspiring, and draws you into the story of its endearing characters. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Louis Skye (Ronita Roy Mohan)

Women Write About Comics

Aug 21, 2025

This film is polished, has great characters, a stunning cast, and is going to get a whole bunch of new people to the cinemas. A lot of people have waited their entire lives for a film like The Woman King to exist. Now we need so much more.

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Joseph Tomastik

Loud and Clear Reviews

Nov 2, 2024

5/5

If I could only use one word to describe The Woman King as a historical action epic, it would be “quintessential”.

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James

Mar 5, 2026

Great action and story

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Meloney

Mar 5, 2026

Action packed, told a good story, the pacing moved right along! Excellent acting and casting. Enjoyed this movie so much!

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Megan

Mar 1, 2026

It was certainly the best movies that I have ever seen this year! I’m a history nerd, so this was right up my alley!

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@BadGoodClothing

Feb 28, 2026

Love this movie. About my sixth time seeing it in the movies. Glad I was able to catch it again. Great acting from all! You care for all the actors involved and the fact this is based of real history is just unreal!!!

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Teresa

May 5, 2025

I understood the ratings, but, I didn’t understand “king” like tagline besides her crowning. Not African enough.

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Karen

Apr 30, 2025

I enjoyed this movie, raw, action-packed, great cinematography. Yes, kept me on the edge of my seat. Kudos

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Gina Prince-Bythewood

Director

Viola Davis

Nanisca

Thuso Mbedu

Nawi

Lashana Lynch

Izogie

Sheila Atim

Amenza

Hero Fiennes Tiffin

Santo Ferreira

The Woman King: Official Clip - Severed Head Tribute

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The Woman King: Official Clip - Nanisca vs. Oba

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The Woman King: Official Clip - Nawi & Malik

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The Woman King: Official Clip - The Baby and the Shark Tooth

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The Woman King: Official Clip - The Agojie Ambush

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The Woman King: Official Clip - The Race

3:21

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The Woman King: Official Clip - Agojie War Dance

2:07

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The Woman King: Official Clip - Exploding the Enemy Camp

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The Woman King: Official Clip - Nanisca's Victory

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The Woman King: Official Clip - Crowning The Woman King

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The Woman King: Featurette - The Ensemble Cast

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The Woman King: Featurette - Viola as a Leader

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The Woman King: Featurette - Terance Blanchard's Score

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The Woman King: Special Features Preview

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The Cast of ‘The Woman King’ was Constantly Starstruck by Viola Davis on Set

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The Woman King: Featurette - Sisterhood

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The Woman King: Featurette - Train Like a Champion

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The Woman King: Featurette - Revered

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Synopsis

The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for....

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Producer: Cathy Schulman, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Maria Bello
Screenwriter: Dana Stevens
Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Production Co: Eone Entertainment, JuVee Productions, Dapartment of Trade and Industry of South Africa, TSG Entertainment, Investment Incentives for the Irish Film Industry Provided by the Government of Ireland, TriStar Pictures, Welle Entertainment, Jack Blue Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Partial Nudity|Brief Language|Sequences of Strong Violence|Some Disturbing Material|Thematic Content)
Genre: Action, Adventure, History, Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 16, 2022, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 13, 2022
Box Office (Gross USA): $67.1M
Runtime: 2h 15m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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