Tarantino’s iconic status in the ‘90s and now his work has spawned countless attempts and many have failed miserably. I suppose it’s right that today being Tarantino is difficult. Just like many of those wannabe directors who were a fan of Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, look at Neil Marshall’s Duchess, there are some similarities such as the one found in Guy Ritchie’s debut movie Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but it wasn’t that great either. Shattered contemporary drops, Tartan cut-up techniques, inappropriate language, and contextual over-bearing, and all about the more or less interrelated criminals. Duchess desperately attempts to be a Ritchie film, he was considered as a co writer, co producer, and co founder of the movie. Which, frankly, he would as likely not desire. Surely, ‘Atrocious’ is a more fitting name.
Charlotte Kirk portrays Scarlett Monaghan, a woman being pursued by Robert McNaughton, played by Philip Winchester who in contrast to Scarlett’s dead boyfriend is a complete text. Charlotte is utterly lifeless in her portrayal. Two of the more interesting characters in the film are Robert McNaughton who is battling with real marital issues and is trying to shut down the romantic overtures to him by an exciting model named Scarlett. Unfortunately, their affair turns into a truly abominable love triangle because Robert makes his money by selling large Nagas rather ugly weapons dealers and criminals. He is strongly backed by his friends Danny, played by Sean Pertwee, and Baraka, played by Hoji Fortuna. Stephanie Beacham portrays a brooch crime queen herself and puts out some of the film’s most appalling situations. Robert is a proud owner of Barrett and Collins, a jewelry store, which makes him and Scarlette the ultimate unaffordable couple. Colin Egglesfield turns into a competitive businessman in the book Robert/Scarlett.
Going through the storyline briefly, Scarlett seems to go through action and blood drama over what she anticipated was mere teasing from an appealing stylish man who charmed her that night. The script written by Kirk Marshall and Simon Farr looks like a feminine retelling of Kill Bill, but unlike Ritchie, these people featured in the movie are out for revenge because it was a mistake to judge her. They somehow look lost behind the screenplay though. Unlike Kirk, it is unlikely that a Kin can be convinced of any action matter verbal or nonverbal with the character being intact and that’s perhaps why Marshall chooses aggression in trying to improve on his otherwise bland film. To illustrate, a heated up focal pin is thrust into a subject sexually while another is placed alongside a flame. One man pours oil on another and sets him alight. It’s all rather a combination of torture and snatch if such a word exists, not entertaining.
To the existing list of deficiencies, the meager plot and its tone in ‘Duchess’ stand. Instead of a tribute, it feels like a parody of Ritchie. This ‘tribute’ is equally lengthy and poorly made, while also being quite one sided: This Ode lasts for almost two hours. As awkward as it may sound, the movie whose run time is just below two hours feels like four long. The way the script finishes up with a hint of a sequel might give one an impression of a follow up, it seems more of a threat than a promise, to me.
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