Rating: 2.5/5
Anti-Criterion Challenge 2024 | 37/52 | Edited by Terilyn A. Shropshire
West Africa 1823
The African Kingdom of Dahomey is at a crossroads. A new king, Ghezo, has just taken power. Their enemy, the Oyo Empire, has joined forces with the Mahi people to raid Dahomey villages and sell their captives to European slavers, an evil trade that has pulled both nations into a vicious circle. The powerful Oyo have new guns and horses, but the young king has his own fearsome weapon: an elite force of female soldiers, the Agojie, led by a general, Nanisca. Now, these warriors are all that stand between the Oyo and Dahomey’s annihilation.
The Agojie raids the Mahi village to save the Dahomean women they abducted to sell as slaves. Horseshoes prove Nansica right—the Oyo were responsible. They’ll need stronger warriors to prepare for the coming battles.
White people have released fetishized historical epics since the dawn of cinema, hitting the peak with movies like Braveheart and Gladiator. However, they’ve never been accurate historical epics—in fact, they often rewrite history to make heroes out of objective villains. Entertainment, not education, is the goal.
Finally, we get a big-budget historical action flick directed by and starring black women. The film rewrites history, portraying slave traders as reformed heroes. However, if the aim is mere equality, the film should receive the same leniency as its predecessors.
I hate Braveheart and don’t give a fuck about Gladiator. I didn’t like Robert Eggers’s attempt with The Northman. This was never going to be something I loved.
This movie was wildly successful, and it would be idiotic for studios not to fund more projects like this. Just because I’m not the target audience doesn’t mean I don’t support it being made.