In 2025, Margot Robbie reinvents herself in the gritty crime drama “Queen of Crime”, leaving behind comic-book chaos for the shadows of noir realism. Directed by Sarah Polley, the film is based on the true story of Diane Morris — a London-based woman who rose to power by building a secret financial empire during the turbulent 1980s, amidst corruption, gender politics, and high-stakes betrayal.

Robbie portrays Diane not as a stereotypical mob boss, but as a brilliant, dangerously charming strategist who juggles power and motherhood, ambition and moral compromise. It's a far cry from Harley Quinn — here, she plays a composed, calculating woman who controls everything until one critical alliance collapses.

The narrative spans Diane’s rise, reign, and reckoning, laced with suspense and psychological intensity. The aesthetic leans into noir elegance: smoky lounges, sharp silhouettes, and vintage jazz framing her empire’s rise and fall. Supporting cast includes Dominic West, Vanessa Kirby, and David Thewlis.

Set to premiere on November 17, 2025, at the BFI London Film Festival, Queen of Crime is already being called Robbie’s most mature performance yet — a transformative leap into prestige drama, where she doesn’t just play a queen, she becomes one

Queen of Crime isn’t just another entry in the true-crime genre — it’s a cinematic reinvention. At its core, the film is a character study about control: who wields it, who fears it, and what it costs to keep it. Diane Morris, brought chillingly to life by Margot Robbie, is no cartoonish mastermind — she is human, brilliant, bruised, and burning with purpose.

Set during Thatcher-era London, a time when power structures were shifting but still deeply hostile to female ambition, the film peels back layers of history, gender dynamics, and criminal sophistication. Diane operates in a man's world, but she doesn't try to mimic her male counterparts — she outthinks them. Her criminal empire is constructed not with violence, but with precision: shell companies, coded messages, and high-level manipulation. She launders money not through nightclubs, but through cultural institutions and luxury real estate.

Robbie’s Diane is cool under pressure, but the cracks show at just the right moments. In private, she's a mother shielding her son from the life she's built. In public, she's an enigma — impeccably dressed, eternally watchful, and always three steps ahead. The role demands subtlety over spectacle, and Robbie delivers it with simmering control. Her performance is less about dramatic outbursts and more about the stillness that precedes them — the long glances, the tightened grip on a champagne flute, the soft voice that carries razor-sharp warnings.

Director Sarah Polley infuses the film with a haunting tone, blending 1980s grime with timeless noir. There’s a tactile richness to every scene: flickering neon signs, the sound of stilettos on wet pavement, the hiss of jazz from an old record player. The film draws inspiration from classics like The Long Good Friday and The Third Man, but updates their sensibilities with a distinctly feminist lens.

Dominic West plays a corrupt banker with personal ties to Diane, their chemistry crackling with both danger and history. Vanessa Kirby takes on the role of Diane’s estranged sister — a social worker whose moral clarity becomes a mirror Diane tries desperately to avoid. David Thewlis, in a standout supporting role, is a disgraced detective who becomes both threat and confidant, circling Diane’s world with suspicion and reluctant awe.

The screenplay, penned by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, Shame), refuses easy resolutions. Diane isn’t romanticized — nor is she punished in simplistic ways. Her world is messy, morally gray, and painfully real. The film explores how women are judged differently when they seize power — seen as ruthless for the same strategies that make men legends. In Queen of Crime, every glance, every deal, every betrayal carries double meaning: one for the world she’s navigating, and one for the mirror she avoids.

At the heart of the film is a question: Can a woman change the game without becoming what she once despised? Diane’s arc is both tragic and triumphant, her rise built on the ruins of trust, and her downfall tangled in loyalty too long deferred.

Queen of Crime doesn’t just mark a turning point in Margot Robbie’s career — it redefines it. With this role, she sheds her blockbuster persona and steps fully into the realm of character-driven prestige storytelling. Critics are already hailing the film as a slow-burn masterpiece — a rare blend of art-house aesthetics and commercial appeal.

With its world premiere set for the BFI London Film Festival on November 17, 2025, and Oscar buzz already building, Queen of Crime is poised to dominate conversations long after the credits roll. It’s not just about a woman who broke the law. It’s about a woman who rewrote it.