Rapunzel meets The Raid
The princess trapped in a tower awaiting her knight in shining armor is a tired tale. The Princess takes that boring old story and adds a wrinkle. What if the princess wasn’t in distress at all? What if she was the knight ready to save the day on her own? What if the writers doubled down and said that’s all the story that viewers need? Plot established. Character built. Challenges set in place. Cool. Action!
Written by Jake Thornton and Ben Lustig and directed by Le-Van Kiet (Furie, The Rich Woman), The Princess takes the Asian martial arts formula and applies it to the fairy tale scenario. Readers who think they may have heard this type of action-heavy movie before probably have. This same plot was at the heart of brutal films like The Raid, Dredd, Kill Bill, and The Night Comes For Us.
Unlike most of those films, The Princess takes place among a well-lit, colorful array of sets. The various goons boast every variety of armor from simple leathers to full plate mail. Most of the film pits the titular princess (Joey King) against these nameless foot soldiers. There are two true enemies of note. The first is the diabolical Julius (Dominic Cooper), who would force her hand in marriage to become king. His consort, Moira (Olga Kurylenko), who wields a razor-sharp whip.
King is treated to a handful of one-liners but it’s the action that really defines and dominates the film. Fight choreographer Kefi Abrikh coordinates complex battles with a wide number of weapons. King and her stunt double, Jade-Eleena Dregorius, work together fluidly to provide a buffet of stomp kicks, sword play, flips, slides, and plenty of parkour.
The flim runs roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes with the plot taking up about half an hour. That’s all that should be expected. Despite the fantasy setting, Thornton and Lustig use that just to flip the script on the usual princess story. The Princess is more John Wick than Lord of the Rings. Viewers should anticipate plenty of action with some Arnold-esque action star one-liners.
King seems to really enjoy the opportunity to take on the physicality and challenge of a pure action movie. With a short run time, enjoyable dialogue, a scenery-chewing villain and tons of well-choreographed fights, The Princess is a martial arts popcorn movie that viewers can enjoy from home.
The Princess is streaming now on Hulu.