Despite being directed by Neil Marshall, this action flick is dull and sloppy, with very little going for it.
PLOT: 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.
REVIEW: Ever since Dog Soldiers/The Descent, I’ve stood firmly by, waiting for Neil Marshall to enter that next level of filmmaking. He’s always had such a fantastic visual style that is easy to identify when watching any of his films. And his sensibilities always felt a little off the beaten path, which I love. But with his partnership with his fiancé, Charlotte Kirk, I’m worried that’s just never going to happen. Because if Duchess is any indication, he seems content just making mediocre fare with Kirk as the lead.
Duchess follows Scarlett, a small-time criminal who meets Robert, a handsome man who also just so happens to be a diamond smuggler. Bringing her into the business, Robert teaches her the ways of the trade. But his newfound love has signaled weakness to his partners, who try to take out Robert and his team. The concept isn’t so bad, except, even from that brief description, you’d think Robert is our hero. He’s suave, he can fight, he has connections. So the decision to instead follow Scarlett, seems shortsighted. Especially when they essentially just transfer all of Robert’s abilities over to Duchess through the power of love. I wish I was kidding but it’s handled so sloppily that her transformation isn’t believable in the slightest and that’s the only explanation I have.
The character of Robert McNaughton is supposed to be the coolest man in existence, with a good grasp on every situation. And while Philip Winchester does a decent job, the part feels like it’s intended for a much larger actor. Someone who makes the audience immediately feel will take the situation by the balls and accomplish their goal. And whether it’s his relationship with Scarlett/Duchess or his interactions with bad guys, something feels off. They’re telling us this guy is the bee’s knees but based on what we’re seeing, he just feels like a side character.
Then there’s Scarlett’s entire transformation into Duchess which just kind of happens. Her reputation seems to explode in a very small period of time, it’s hard to reconcile the two distinct personalities as being the same character. Duchess constantly struggles with telling the audience a character is incredible rather than showing that they are. We’re told Robert (and later Duchess) is so good at his job, yet when we see it in action, it feels more like luck than skill. The acting throughout leaves a lot to be desired. It constantly conflicts with the much higher production value of the visuals. Marshall always knows how to make a movie look good but no one behaves in a believable way. After a rocky start, Kirk settles into her role, but never really feels comfortable as an action heroine.
There are many times when Duchess feels like a comic book. From its strange and sometimes overly on-the-nose witty dialogue to its treatment of passing time, I can practically see what this would look like on the page. And sadly, I think it would have worked considerably better there. Some of the absurdities wouldn’t stick out as much as they do in a film. Not to mention how segmented the story feels, with a very untraditional structure. It almost feels like a TV show that was reduced to a feature-length film. This is an action movie after all so I’m sure you’re wondering how those are. Most of the gunplay is very static and lacking in energy. Even the stakes feel low, as our heroes are ambushed by attackers, yet somehow avoid all of their bullet fire. Thankfully the hand-to-hand fights liven things up a bit more and provide a bit more
Any good revenge film needs a villain that helps to sustain the narrative. We as the audience need to have one desire: our protagonist getting their payback against the antagonist. Every action made needs to have that end goal in sight. Yet, whether it’s because of a lack of presence, or just a messy narrative, our main bad guy (Colin Egglesfield) never reaches any level of importance. He’s simply the guy in the way. He always just feels like a henchman as we’re waiting for the bigger, more powerful leader to show his head. Yet we never get that and are simply forced to watch this guy bumble his way up the criminal ladder. So with an action heroine lacking confidence and a bad guy lacking in presence, there’s very little to attach to in Duchess. Here’s hoping Marshall course corrects because, as is, it’s hard to get excited for any of his films with Kirk attached.
DUCHESS IS AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL AND ON DEMAND ON AUGUST 9TH, 2024.
