“Are you gonna come in or just stand there and drool?”
In which Neil Marshall, director of Dog Soldiers, The Reckoning, and The Lair takes on the criminal underworld by way of a female assassin who has fuck all to lose. International diamond smuggling has never looked this sexy.
Duchess has all sorts of appeal. This female-lead british action flick is both vibrant and dynamic in its approach to criminal activity and, thanks to a knowledgeable brain directing the proceedings, deals in all shades of B-movie violence and venom and comes out with a winning hand.
Duchess, starring and co-written by Charlotte Kirk, is director Neil Marshall’s return to independent filmmaking. And it is something to be celebrated as his knack for kicking all sorts of ass with his movies comes through in spades yet again thanks to the talent assembled here.
The blows to the body are felt with each delivery and the raucous has never been slicker as a regular girl from London tries to survive a world which is all sorts of darkened by its sideways criminals.
The film, complete with a beginning which absolutely deserves your attention, is the story of a small-time crook who dares the impossible and enters the treacherous waters of international diamond trafficking. When a bad deal goes tits up, she is left for dead and has to claw herself back out of the Hell she’s wandered straight in.
And, oh yes, there will be blood. Buckets of it, in fact.
Revenge, you know. It isn’t always easy, but in Marshall’s hands it feels like it really, really is. This is a fun and fast revenge flick as all sorts of rough justice is delivered to those responsible for the betrayal and every bit of Duchess’ wounds.
Starring 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 feels in step with the likes of Kill Bill, Salt, Lucy, Atomic Blonde, and Hanna.
The film, available from Vertigo Releasing, is now available to stream on digital platforms.
MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 114 mins
Director: Neil Marshall
Writer: Neil Marshall
Cast: Charlotte Kirk; Colm Meaney; Sean Pertwee
Genre: Action | Crime
Tagline: From the Director of The Descent.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Vertigo Releasing
Official Site:
Release Date: August 9, 2024
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Follows a tough, working-class, petty criminal who morphs into an anti-heroine to be reckoned with in a murky underworld, in the treacherous world of diamond smuggling.
