| From the director of Dog Soldiers & The Descent
Starring Charlotte Kirk, Philip Winchester, Colm Meane, Hoji Fortuna, Colin Egglesfield, Stephanie Beachum and Sean Pertwee
Tuesday 9th July, London, UK: Vertigo Releasing have announced the release of action-thriller Duchess. Directed by Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers & The Descent), Duchess will be in Select UK Cinemas & available on Digital Download from 12th August.
Story: Ralph Greco, Jr.
Duchess, a small-time crook, tries to enter the treacherous underworld of diamond trafficking and ends up left for dead when a deal goes wrong. Determined to seek retribution, she launches into an unwavering pursuit for vengeance.
Duchess stars Charlotte Kirk (The Lair), Philip Winchester (Strike Back), Colm Meaney (Layer Cake), Hoji Fortuna (That Dirty Black Bag), Colin Egglesfield (Something Borrowed), Stephanie Beachum (Dynasty) and Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers, Gotham).
The criminal underworld, and especially gangsters, have been staple movie fodder since movies were invented, and their popularity is as strong as ever. Just look at the success of movies such as Goodfellas, The Departed, Pulp Fiction, True Romance or tv series like Narcos, Ozark and Breaking Bad. The universal appeal of criminals and their nefarious endeavours shows no sign of wavering.
Added to that, female driven action movies have also made their mark of late. Classic movies suchas Kill Bill, Salt, Lucy, Hanna, Mad Max Fury Road, Hunger Games, and Atomic Blonde have proved very popular with audiences, and characters such as Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor have become cinematic icons. DUCHESS, and Scarlett Monaghan, follows firmly in this tradition, and I think the reason Scarlett’s story resonates so strongly, particularly amongst women, is because she’s not a superhero or a spy, she’s a regular London girl just trying to survive in this crazy world.
According to Director Neil Marshall
“With DUCHESS I wanted to create a British action crime thriller with international appeal. While its themes of love lost and raving taken are universal, I decided early on in the development of the script that rather than go down the traditional route of East End gangsters and cockney swagger, I wanted to broaden its scope, not just in terms of its visual texture and style, but also its central story. I changed up drug deals for the more mysterious and somewhat enticing world of international diamond smuggling. Who isn’t drawn to the allure of a sparkling diamond? And instead of the rainy back streets of London I wanted to give this film a sun-baked and vibrant look. And of course,the movie is packed full of exciting and intense action sequences in the great tradition of films like Heat, The Untouchables and Scarface.
DUCHESS is a fresh take on a genre we all love, and it’s a hell of a wild ride.”
Duchess will be in Select UK Cinemas & available on Digital Download from 12th August
Ralph Greco, Jr. is the devilishly clever nom de plume of professional writer/musician Ralph Greco who lives in the wilds of suburban New Jersey. He is also a podcast co-host, but as everyone has a podcast these days, this fact is of very little consequence.
Ralph can be reached by writing ralphiedawriter@gmail.com
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