Duchess (film)
| Duchess | |
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| Directed by | Neil Marshall |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Simon Rowling |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Paul Lawler |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $43,355[1] |
Duchess is a 2024 British crime film directed by Neil Marshall. It is a revenge action thriller featuring a female protagonist portrayed by Charlotte Kirk. The film had a limited theatrical release and was met with generally negative reviews from critics.
Plot
Scarlett is a low-level thief who, while working as a pickpocket in a nightclub, falls for the suave Rob. Rob, it turns out, is a diamond smuggler working with Danny and Baraka, selling a massive diamond to queen-fence Charlie. Following Rob's death at the hands of his fellow smugglers, Scarlett becomes known as "Duchess", intent on a bloody revenge.
Cast
- Charlotte Kirk as Scarlett (aka Duchess)
- Philip Winchester as Rob
- Sean Pertwee as Danny
- Hoji Fortuna as Baraka
- Colin Egglesfield as Tom
- Stephanie Beacham as Charlie
- Colm Meaney as Frank
- Harvey Dean as Adam
- Mellissa Laycy as Michelle
Release
Box office
Duchess had a limited release to theatres in August 2024, achieving a box office total of $43,355. It was released to video the same month.[1]
Critical reception
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 13% of 23 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Duchess is chauvinism dressed up in women's clothes, but much less exciting".[2] On Metacritic it has a score of 22 out of 100, based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[3] Metacritic later listed it as the third worst reviewed movie of 2024.[4]
In a two-star review for The Guardian, critic Leslie Felperin stated that Kirk looks good in Lycra but the film is "tired" and does not engage the audience.[5] Tim Robey, writing for The Telegraph, rated it one out of five and wrote: "The sub-sub-Scarface bursts of bullet-ridden action just about keep this thing from grinding to a halt, but it’s leering, cruddy and retrograde to the bitter end".[6] Brian Tallerico for RogerEbert.com slated the film, stating not only that it is "overlong", but that it also feels "twice as long" again.[7]
Although featuring a female protagonist in the lead role, a review in Screen Rant stated the film "fails to subvert sexist tropes", with its gender politics being less progressive than films from 30-40 years earlier.[8]
References
- 1 2 "Duchess (2024) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ↑ "Scarlett - Diamond of Revenge (2024)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ "Duchess". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ↑ "The Worst Movies of 2024". Metacritic. 2024-12-16. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
- ↑ Felperin, Leslie (6 August 2024). "Duchess review – sneers and smiles in noughties throwback Brit-crime revenger". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ↑ Robey, Tim (8 August 2024). "Duchess: a 'feminist' revenge thriller? This braindead torture porn gives MeToo a bad name". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ Tallerico, Brian (9 August 2024). "Duchess movie review & film summary (2024)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ↑ Donaldson, Mark (13 August 2024). "Duchess Review: This Dated & Derivative Revenge Thriller Doesn't Bother To Escape The Male Gaze". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.