Even though “The Woman King” isn’t precisely historically correct, it presents a brilliantly entertaining historical epic, and you can’t have an enjoyable movie without good sequences. Here, we’d like to look at some of the most memorable scenes from a film that was full of them. It’s difficult to choose which of the movie’s many subplots we actually considered to be the most memorable, but it’s simple to identify which scenes have stayed with us.
The most memorable scenes in the Gina Prince-Bythwood-directed film differ drastically from one another because it tells so many stories within its bigger narrative of the Agojie warriors defending the kingdom of Dahomey against the Oyo and European slave traffickers. They range in tone from tender to humorous to breathtaking action sequences to emotionally upsetting. Despite this, there are still a lot of situations in the movie that have these effects, thus we can’t help but order the scenes according to how much of an influence they have. Without further ado, here are “The Woman King’s” top 12 unforgettable scenes, ranked.
There are “The Woman King” spoilers ahead.
Amenza kills a slaver with chains
The action-packed battle between a variety of characters and the Oyo and slavers during their nighttime raid on the port city is the movie’s finale. However, the scene where Amenza strangles a slaver with chains is the most exciting and profound in terms of images.
She takes a chain that was probably used to restrain other Africans, swings it at the white man at first, then moves in close, wraps it around her hand, and beats him with it. In a movie with a PG-13 rating, it’s a shockingly nasty sequence, but it’s also tremendously fulfilling. It is impossible to overestimate the impact of the picture of an African woman executing a white slaver with the same chains he used to enslave her people. And it is obvious from viewing that Amenza is not blind to this as she murders Atim because of how ferocious and angry his act is.
Malik frees chained men
The combat that takes place at night in the port city when the slavers come serves as “The Woman King’s” finale. Santo realises it’s time for him and his human cargo to leave Africa before things change for him when the Agojie and their male equivalents in the Dahomey infantry attack, chaos breaks out.
Santo tries to smuggle a small group of chained and roped together African men off the mainland and onto a ship so that he can sell them. Malik is present when he performs these actions, yet it is clear that Malik finds it difficult to enslave these people with whom he shares a blood connection.
In a bold move, Malik releases the bound men so they can exact their vengeance on Santo without his interference. It’s a significant moment and the conclusion of Malik’s identity crisis; he recognises what is right and has decided to take action to support his African people. Santo’s unconscious, and maybe dead, body washing in the surf is a powerful image that sums up the event.
Nanisca is named Woman King
Nanisca and her soldiers anticipate punishment from their king Ghezo (John Boyega), who specifically forbade Nanisca from leaving the city the previous night, when they return to Dahomey after leading the raid on the port city to free the members of the Agojie and other Africans who are not Dahomey from the slave traders. Ghezo is struck with awe for Nanisca’s bravery and ideals when they return, carrying a group of emancipated Africans.
She is eager to free the slaves Agojie, including her daughter Nawi, when he first tells her that he has already chosen to crown her Woman King, a role that would sit beside him and provide a gendered balance to the leadership of Dahomey. He explains to her that while he wants her to stay and accept this honour by his side, he will have to check her out if she disobeys him.
He cannot think of anyone else for the part despite the fact that she disobeys his order because of how heroically she acts. He declares her the Woman King of Dahomey and offers her a seat on her own throne by his side after praising her bravery and leadership abilities.
Nanisca tells Oba he will not forget
Nanisca identifies Oba (Jimmy Odukoya), the commander of the Oyo army, as one of the men who sexually raped her while she was a captive when he first appears in Dahomey early in the film to demand tribute from the kingdom. This realisation makes her intention to kill him both a perfectly acceptable personal revenge and a political goal for her country’s struggle against the Oyo.
Throughout the film, the two fight a few times, but each time one of them (and their other soldiers) choose to retreat, the confrontations end in stalemates. But Nanisca finally exacts her vengeance in the movie’s decisive battle. As there is a real push-pull over who has the upper hand at any given moment, watching the fight between the two is thrilling and frequently terrifying.
However, Nanisca literally manages to turn Oyo’s own knife towards him and stab him in the closing seconds of the fight. Before firmly driving the blade deeper into his sternum, she asks him if he had forgotten her. She then stares him in the eyes and says, “You will not forget,” as he passes away. Another satisfying yet brutally shocking moment occurs at this point.
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Nawi is Nanisca’s daughter
In one of “The Woman King’s” more sinister subplots, we learn that Nanisca was taken by the Oyo many years ago and subjected to many sexual assaults. She was expecting when she eventually made it out.
She carried the pregnancy to term and urged her dependable friend Amenza (Sheila Atim) to safely remove the child from Dahomey. To ensure that she would be alerted if the child ever found its way back to her, she inserted a shark teeth into the baby’s shoulder before giving it to someone else.
When Nanisca notices a significant scar on Nawi’s shoulder and learns that the family who reared her adopted Nawi, she starts to wonder if Nawi is indeed her child. Amenza assures her that it is impossible, but one evening when just Nanisca and Nawi are in the baths, Nanisca examines Nawi’s shoulder wound, tearing it open and disclosing the shark tooth.
Despite the fact that the sequence is fairly melodramatic, Davis and Mbedu’s acting convincingly conveys the emotional truth of the discovery, making it one of the most memorable in the film.
Nawi saves her mother
Just when Nanisca finally defeats Oba, a slaver’s weapon is aimed at her. Since this is a war, she doesn’t have time to celebrate, and for a split second it appears like her well-deserved retaliation will be her final act of life. The slaver is then shot from behind, and the camera cuts to Nawi brandishing a gun as the slaver falls.
The moment is notable for more than just the immediate relief that one of our heroes has been preserved and did not perish seconds after exacting her vengeance. Since Nawi joined the Agojie, their relationship has been strained, and when they discovered that Nawi is Nanisca’s daughter, things did not get any easier. The two have fought for each other’s esteem because Nanisca worries that Nawi’s conceit and narrow-mindedness could endanger her and her fellow Agojie.
Nanisca, however, is now aware that her daughter’s only motivation throughout her life has been love and concern for her fellow soldiers. The usage of the exploding termite hills early in the movie hinted to the fact that Nawi is a vital member of the Agojie, willing to make unconventional choices to protect her fellow warriors and win fights.
It’s a narrative and emotional beat that connects many of the movie’s numerous subplots and storylines in a touching moment of mother and daughter admiration.
Nawi steals Malik’s clothes
Born in the Portuguese province of Brazil, Malik (Jordan Bolger), the son of a European man and a Dahomey woman, travels to West Africa with his companion, the slaver Santo (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), to visit his mother’s family and people. He decides to go swimming in a pond shortly after arrival as he and Santo are travelling to Dahomey. However, his garments are gone as he exits.
He initially believes that his friend is tricking him and asks for his clothes back, only to find out that a stunning young woman has actually grabbed them and appears to be threatening him. However, when he replies to her in her language, they start to get along as he talks about his background and his ambition to visit Dahomey. It’s also obvious that the two are attracted to one another, which is understandable given that Malik is physically fit and attractive.
It’s a comical sequence that starts the movie’s romance plotline and explains why Nawi and Malik fall in love, beyond the fact that they’re both attractive.
Termite hill explosions
In an early scene during training, Nawi and a few of her companions pull a joke on the more senior Agojie by stuffing the necks of dummies with gunpowder and setting off a spark when they cut off the heads. This ploy initially appears to be disappointing to Nanisca, but as the film progresses, it gives her an idea.
When the Agojie and other Dahomey residents discover from Malik that Oyo intends to strike, they start to get ready to launch their own attack first and regain the edge of surprise. The Dahomey warriors construct phoney termite mounds filled with gunpowder that they are able to ignite with a gunpowder wick using no weapons, as Nawi had assured Nanisca was feasible.
When the Dahomey launch their assault, the explosions have the ideal impact and are also pure entertainment for the spectators. They detonate brightly and violently, sending shrapnel into the Oyo camp and signalling that the Dahomey are not to be taken for granted as easy targets.
The blood oath
Nawi and the other recruits are admitted into the exclusive Agojie through a blood oath rite after passing their last exam and demonstrating their eligibility. Horror films frequently feature communities swearing blood oaths, but they are typically very ominous affairs. The blood oath in “The Woman King” is particularly memorable because it’s a happy occasion.
In a ceremonial bowl, the blood from the young ladies who passed the exam earlier that day is collected by women who have been Agojie members for many years. However, all the women, including General Nanisca, contribute to the blood in the bowl, not just the young ladies who had just joined the ranks of the Agojie that day.
Beautiful and dramatic, the blood oath sequence is a moment of celebration for the young women who are now regarded as members of the fighting elite for their kingdom. Through this ceremony, they all commit themselves to one another and are now on an equal footing with their mentors.
The final test
There can be no concerns about the rigour of the Agojie’s training, even though the training schedule for new recruits isn’t entirely obvious. The young women must then pass a final exam in order to join the famed and feared women warriors after their training is complete.
That examination comprises of a series of trials connected by a difficult obstacle course. The recruits must cross a group of infantrymen out to stop them as well as a battlement and a thorny bramble on their journey. Even while the test would be entertaining to witness regardless of the results, the scene is made even more memorable when Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) backs out after the first hurdle.
Even though Nawi has passed the test, she reenters the bramble to aid her friend in getting out of the thorns so that they can both reach the test’s conclusion. Nawi’s course is reset when she changes her mind, which causes her to act rashly in an effort to gain time, such as jumping off the battlement rather of decending it.
Not only is the moment exciting, but it also brings out a certain quality of Nawi’s personality. She is independent and won’t hesitate to take a stand for her friends, even if it means putting herself last. She will, however, give up her body in order to get glory for herself.
The first rule of training is always obey Izogie
Izogie (Lashana Lynch), one of the most fearsome Agojie warriors, welcomes Nawi as she first enters the palace to join the Agojie. But Izogie is also compassionate and kind; she desires for each recruit to succeed and develop into a renowned warrior as she did. Izogie gives Nawi a quick tour of the royal grounds, which serve as the Agojie’s training grounds, and then she is left to adjust.
When they cross paths again, Izogie is horrified by how filthy Nawi is and inquires as to why the young woman hasn’t taken a bath since arriving. Izogie informs Nawi that there is only one fundamental rule of training—the first one, in fact—and that is to “Always obey Izogie.” Nawi claims she wishes to let the senior women bathe first. Nawi nods in agreement to the regulation and promises to abide by it, but she stays still. Then, for Nawi to understand that Izogie, who must always be obeyed, is instructing her to take a shower, Izogie has to announce “I’m Izogie.”
It’s a charming scene that establishes their friendship for the remainder of the movie. Izogie is a strict but caring mentor who will challenge Nawi to reach her highest potential in both combat and hygiene, but she will do so with consideration and fun every time.
Training with a rope
Working with rope to make a lasso out of the piece of rope they are given is one of the first training exercises given to new recruits to the Agojie. While some of the girls—including Nawi—can do this with ease, others find it difficult. Although the training method itself isn’t particularly noteworthy, the scene’s response to Nawi’s criticism that a rope isn’t even a weapon by Agojie chief General Nanisca (Viola Davis) is.
Nawi is given Nanisca’s sword, which is so heavy that she can hardly carry it, and is told to remove the head from a training dummy by the young woman. Nawi is apprehensive, but Nanisca advises her to seize the chance if she wants to use a genuine weapon. Nawi assaults the dummy by swinging the heavy sword at its neck and forcefully driving it into it without taking off its head or doing much further to the dummy.
Nanisca approaches calmly, draws the sword, and swings it ferociously, slicing off the dummy’s head in one motion. Nawi is then instructed to practise with the rope as she sheathes her sword. This scene, like the one with Izogie, demonstrates the types of leaders the more seasoned Agojie are; they will inform the recruits where they belong but will do so with some fun rather than strict punishment.
