Rent Duchess (2024)

Awful Copycat London Crime Film - Duchess review by GI

Director Neil Marshall tries to be a Guy Ritchie wannabe with this cockney crime drama that suffers from a painful script, very obviously staged fights and set pieces and a lead actress with a limited range of facial expressions of acting ability in Charlotte Kirk, who happens to be Marshall's girlfriend. This is a silly, violent crime/revenge thriller with Kirk as a street wise London pickpocket who catches the eye of a bent diamond smuggler and ends up as the love of his life. He introduces her into his violent world and gaining the nickname Duchess the film charts her rise in the criminal world. The film is littered with pointless slo-mo, usually of Kirk emerging from a swimming pool, voiceovers like Ritchie's early London crime films. Stephanie Beacham cameos as a nasty bitch and Colm Meaney makes an appearance that is for no reason other than to say he's in the film! Sean Pertwee co-stars and is the only redeeming thing about this film. It's sequel friendly ending is a worry though so hopefully we''l be spared that. It's utter tosh.