Princess (Film)

The Princess (original title: The Princess) is a 2022 American action film directed by Le-Van Kiet and written by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton. The film tells the story of a princess imprisoned in a high tower dungeon after refusing a forced marriage, and her efforts to escape while fighting her way back to reclaim her kingdom, presented through a narrative dominated by fight sequences. Produced for the Hulu platform, the film was released digitally on July 1, 2022.

^{The Princess Film Scene (}IMDB⁾

The film begins with an unnamed princess being imprisoned in a high tower of a castle after refusing to enter a forced marriage with Julius, a powerful and dangerous villain, and his associates. The princess uses her combat skills and intelligence to escape the tower, protect her family, and reclaim control of the palace. Set in a fictional kingdom evoking medieval European aesthetics, the film employs a non-linear narrative structure to reveal the princess’s training and past through flashbacks.

• Joey King (The Princess): King portrays the unnamed protagonist, a young princess trapped in a tower dungeon who must fight numerous adversaries to defeat Julius and his men and save her family and kingdom. The character is depicted as a trained, determined, and warrior-like princess.
• Dominic Cooper (Julius): Cooper plays the main antagonist, a ruthless and dangerous nobleman who seeks to forcibly marry the princess and seize control of the kingdom. Julius represents the greatest obstacle to the princess due to his political influence and physical strength.
• Olga Kurylenko (Moira): Kurylenko portrays Moira, Julius’s formidable warrior ally, a cunning and loyal character who poses a serious physical and tactical threat to the princess.
• Veronica Ngo (Linh): Ngo portrays Linh, the princess’s martial arts instructor and close friend, appearing in flashbacks to reveal the origin of the princess’s combat skills and the emotional depth of their mentor-student bond.
• Ivo Nandi (Apricot): Nandi plays Apricot, one of the lower-level antagonists who oversees Julius’s operations in the castle and engages in combat with the princess, taking on a prominent role in the film’s action sequences.
• Alex Reid (The Queen): Reid portrays the princess’s mother, the Queen, who is captured by Julius and his men. Her presence symbolizes the family bond under threat.
• Ed Stoppard (The King): Stoppard portrays the princess’s father, the King, who is the target of Julius’s plot to seize the kingdom and becomes a helpless figure in need of rescue.
• Aris Servetalis (Rafe): Servetalis portrays Rafe, a compassionate character who aids the princess, adding a human dimension to the narrative.

The film is regarded as an attempt by director Le-Van Kiet to merge his signature intense and continuous fight choreography, inspired by Vietnamese action cinema, with Western fantasy aesthetics. The fight sequences prominently feature movements drawn from East Asian martial arts, and filming took place in Bulgaria. The production was a collaboration between 20th Century Studios and New Republic Pictures and was added to Hulu’s original content library.

The film did not receive nominations for major awards such as the Oscars or Golden Globes. However, Joey King’s performance garnered attention in several critic awards within the “Best Action Performance” category and achieved popularity among younger audiences on streaming platforms.^【1】