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One of the best war movies of the decade is on TV tonight

Published 10:50 19 May 2026 BST

Updated 10:50 19 May 2026 BST

Stephen Porzio
One of the best war movies of the decade is on TV tonight

Homemovies & tv

Starring an Oscar-winner, the film has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Our TV movie pick for tonight (Tuesday, 19 May) is The Woman King, the brilliant 2022 historical action war film from director Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard).

Inspired by true events, the story centres around the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s.

"The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar-winner Viola Davis, Fences) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life," the plot synopsis adds.

Alongside Davis, the movie's cast includes John Boyega (Star Wars), Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die), Sheila Atim (Dust Bunny) and Thuso Mbedu (Task).

Thanks to its brilliant lead performances, its hard-hitting battle sequences, its twisty story, and its depiction of history rarely spotlighted in Hollywood blockbusters, The Woman King was a hit at the box office and with critics.

The film even earned comparisons to Braveheart and Gladiator.

Holding an 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, The Woman King is on TV tonight on Film4 at 9pm. The movie will also be available to stream on Channel 4's website after it airs.

Here are the other films on TV tonight:

Expend4bles - ITV4 - 9pm

The fourth entry in the Jason Statham/Sylvester Stallone-led action franchise.

Dude, Where's My Car? - Comedy Central - 9pm

The cult sci-fi comedy with Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott.

Mobsters - Legend - 9pm

This '90s gangster flick provides a semi-fictitious account of the rise of Charles "Lucky" Luciano (Christian Slater), Meyer Lansky (Patrick Dempsey), Frank Costello (Costas Mandylor), and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (Richard Grieco).

Stratton - Legend Xtra - 9pm

This British action thriller with Dominic Cooper has a rare 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning you should probably avoid it.

William Tell - Sky One - 10pm

A 2024 action epic about the titular Swiss folk hero.

The Devil's Own - Legend Xtra - 11pm

The ’90s thriller about the IRA starring Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford.

Outlaw - Legend - 11.10pm

This 2007 British vigilante thriller from writer-director Nick Love (The Football Factory, Marching Powder) stars Bob Hoskins, Danny Dyer and Sean Bean as men who work outside the law to right what they see as the wrongs of society. It did not get good reviews.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Film4 - 11.40pm

Basically, Tim Burton's version of X-Men.

The Krays - BBC One - 11.45pm

The well-liked '90s crime drama about the infamous Kray twins, starring Gary and Martin Kemp.

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