Neil Marshall swaps horror for crime thriller with his latest film Duchess. But he struggles to come up with a standout example.

Marshall's recent run of films starring and writing Charlotte Kirk haven't exactly been the best moments in the career of the Dog Soldier and The Descent filmmaker. Perhaps a change of genre could freshen things up and reinvigorate them, finding a groove that really works for the duo.

If that’s the case, then a British gangster crime thriller is clearly not the place to go, if we’re going to take Duchess as an example. This latest film is a tonally incoherent mess that almost feels like a parody of cheap Cockney gangster flicks. Unfortunately, Duchess is rather serious about what it is.

Scarlett (Charlotte Kirk), a working-class petty criminal, leads a rather dull life, unfortunately marked by the aggressive disdain of all the men in her life. Her petty life of crime is elevated to the big leagues when she meets Robert (Philip Winchester). Robert is a diamond smuggler who has his eye on Scarlett, and as their love grows, she finds herself drawn deeper into Robert’s world.