Neil Marshall’s latest film, Duchess, struggles significantly following his previous work, Centurion. Marshall attempts to combine the style of Guy Ritchie with elements of romantic novels but ends up with a movie that feels like an artificial mix of films like Layer Cake and Snatch.
Co-written by Marshall and Charlotte Kirk, who also stars, the screenplay fails to impress. It stumbles through clichés and poorly executed shootouts, with gang members who miss their targets consistently. Among movies that mimic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Duchess is at the bottom, a dull combination of genres with little creative flair.
What Is Duchess About?
Charlotte Kirk plays Scarlett Monaghan, a “tough, working-class petty criminal.” However, the film does not show her as such until she meets Robert McNaughton (Philip Winchester), who turns out to be a wealthy smuggler.
Scarlett joins his criminal group in the Canary Islands, including his long-time partners Danny Oswald (Sean Pertwee) and Billy Baraka (Hoji Fortuna). When a double-cross occurs, Scarlett must rely on Rob’s training and become the skilled fighter known as Duchess.
Unfortunately, the film does not effectively show Scarlett’s transformation from a weak fighter to a skilled assassin. Duchess relies heavily on dialogue to advance the plot, leaving viewers confused without it. The film’s training scenes do not convincingly depict Scarlett’s improvement.
Instead, the film shifts Scarlett’s role from a potential action heroine to a mere eye-candy love interest, undermining her character development with unnecessary romantic and sexual scenes.
Marshall and Kirk’s screenplay is cluttered with character introductions and awkward dialogue delivered in Kirk’s exaggerated accent. The film often freezes to introduce new characters with name cards, which becomes repetitive and irritating.
The movie is overstuffed with characters and lacks meaningful violence or plot development. The writing sometimes feels like a rough draft, with scenes like Baraka’s loud question about escaping a situation and Rob’s obvious answer.
The Action in Duchess Is Disappointing
If Duchess had thrilling action scenes, it might be more forgivable. However, the film’s action sequences are poorly executed. Shootouts involve characters missing their targets and actors performing poorly in combat scenes.
Despite attempts to add gore with scenes of roadkill and power drills, these moments feel lifeless. Most actors, including Kirk, struggle with basic choreography, and the cinematography fails to highlight their efforts.
Kirk’s performance is somewhat tolerable compared to her previous work with Marshall. While she physically fits her role, her lines and over-explanations detract from her performance.
The film wastes the talents of experienced actors like Sean Pertwee, Colm Meaney, and Stephanie Beacham in a poorly executed project that tries to mimic better films.
Duchess lacks authenticity and fails to convince viewers of Scarlett’s strength. The film’s focus on Kirk’s appearance rather than her character’s development is unsettling. Marshall struggles to blend romance, thrillers, and action, resulting in a film that feels disconnected and poorly executed.
The score by Paul Lawler, reminiscent of Ritchie’s soundtracks, does little to enhance the film. Duchess is a failed attempt to recreate energetic British smuggler thrillers, feeling like a misguided project that never quite succeeds.
