Duchess (film)

Last updated
Duchess
Duchess Movie DVD Cover 2024.jpg
Directed by Neil Marshall
Written by
Produced by
  • Emily Corcoran
  • Kristyna Sellnerova
Starring
CinematographySimon Rowling
Edited by
  • Adam Trotman
  • Neil Marshall
Music byPaul Lawler
Production
companies
  • Cork Films
  • Ashland Hill Media Finance
  • Lip Sync
  • Scarlett Productions Ltd.
Distributed by
Release date
  • August 9, 2024 (2024-08-09)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
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 received both a limited box office release and generally negative critical reception.

Contents

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

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 Rotten Tomatoes it has a 13% approval rating based on reviews from 23 critics. [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 movie is "tired" and does not engage the audience. [5] Tim Robey writing for The Telegraph rated it 1 out of 5 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 movie, stating not only is it "overlong" but it 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 movies from 30-40 years previously. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Duchess (2024) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  2. "Scarlett - Diamond of Revenge (2024)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  3. "Duchess". Metacritic . Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  4. "The Worst Movies of 2024". Metacritic. 2024-12-16. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  5. Felperin, Leslie (6 August 2024). "Duchess review – sneers and smiles in noughties throwback Brit-crime revenger". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  6. 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.
  7. Tallerico, Brian (9 August 2024). "Duchess movie review & film summary (2024)". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  8. 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.