The Woman King

The Woman King is currently streaming in Australia on BINGE and Foxtel Now, and in the US on Hulu and fuboTV, and it earns its set pieces rather than just delivering them. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 2,384 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Viola Davis anchors the chaos with real screen presence. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on BINGE.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Woman King is worth clearing space for. The Woman King understands that stakes only matter if you care who is at risk. The 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, and General Nanisca as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. The physicality Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu bring elevates every sequence. The Woman King came out in 2022. The action sequences are expensive-looking without drawing attention to their own budget — they serve the story rather than interrupting it. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

The genre has a long history of front-loading its best moments — The Woman King is not one of those. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Viola Davis is the obvious draw, but the supporting cast gives the action the context it needs to land. The action holds up because the character work underneath it never lets up.