Duchess, a small-time crook, tries to enter the treacherous underworld of diamond trafficking and ends up left for dead when a deal goes wrong. Determined to seek retribution, she launches into an unwavering pursuit for vengeance.
When offered the opportunity to review the newest film from one of your favourite directors the immediate, and only sane, response has to be…yes, absolutely, send it to me now. Neil Marshall is an incredibly talented, and highly respected, movie director with films like Dog Soldiers and The Descent under his belt. He’s also a genuinely nice guy, and that’s why it pains me somewhat to say that this is not his best film.
Don’t get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. It covers many of the standard tropes of gangster films that have peppered the genre since Guy Ritchie entered the game nearly 30 years ago, and I love those. Therein lies part of the problem. This doesn’t feel like a Neil Marshall film. It feels like somebody has tried to make a Guy Ritchie film with a smaller budget and, while it does work, it feels like it’s missing some of the heart and soul that usually inhabits the movies of the man in the flat cap.
Following on from that we have the performances… None of them are bad, but none of them are outstanding. As the eponymous Duchess, Charlotte Kirk is definitely someone to watch and I think I need to check out more of her films to see her range and see what she can do. Philip Winchester is in solid form as Robert, the gangster who pulls Duchess into his orbit. Of course, we have Mr Marshall’s favourite onscreen whipping boy in Sean Pertwee. He is who he is and I have yet to watch a performance of his I didn’t enjoy.
There isn’t anything about the film I can call bad, but so much of it feels flat. I saw someone say that it could be a brilliant parody of the genre if it didn’t take itself so seriously and, in all honesty, that’s exactly how I feel. It sits squarely in the middle between outright awesome gangster flick and parody of the same, and that is a real shame. I was looking forward to watching this, but I don’t know if I ever will again.
Overall, it isn’t really a bad film, but it’s way below as great as it could have been. It’s missing a lot of the emotions Neil’s other films have had, and as such doesn’t connect in the way it should. I did have fun watching it, but it’s very likely a one-and-done for me. For that reason, I just can’t give it more than 2.5/5, and that just doesn’t feel good.
Duchess stars Charlotte Kirk (The Lair), Philip Winchester (Strike Back), Colm Meaney (Layer Cake), Hoji Fortuna (That Dirty Black Bag), Colin Egglesfield (Something Borrowed), Stephanie Beacham (Dynasty) and Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers, Gotham).
Duchess is available on Digital Download now
Not All Bad, but So Much of It Feels Flat
Movie title: Duchess (2024)
Movie description: A tough, working-class petty criminal is drawn into the treacherous world of diamond smuggling and morphs into an anti-heroine to be reckoned with in the murky underworld.
Date published: August 13, 2024
Country: UK
Duration: 113 mins
Director(s): Neil Marshall
Actor(s): Colm Meaney, Sean Pertwee, Stephanie Beacham
Genre: Action, Crime
Summary
This doesn’t feel like a Neil Marshall film. It feels like somebody has tried to make a Guy Ritchie film with a smaller budget and, while it does work, it feels like it’s missing some of the heart and soul that usually inhabits the movies of the man in the flat cap.
