Popcorn & Coffee: The Devil's Mistress

Mill Creek Ent.; Not Rated; 190 minutes; $14.98; Amazon

I have always ignored films, mini-series and television series that have a historical setting in the 1600s and 1700s. I can't explain it, but those eras just never appealed to me. However, after getting addicted to Starz's Outlander in 2014, I'm now trying to give these types of productions a try; which lead me to review The Devil's Mistress.

Originally titled "The Devil's Whore", it was a four-part British mini-series that aired in 2008. It was later retitled as "The Devil's Mistress" when it was released to the United States in 2011 as two 2-hour episodes. In early August, Mill Creek Entertainment released the mini-series to DVD, but it's been edited to 190 minutes (shown in two parts).

Written by Peter Flannery and directed by Marc Munden, the mini-series stars Andrea Riseborough, John Simm (Life on Mars), Michael Fassbender (X-Men flicks), Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), and Dominic West.

Set during the English Civil War, The Devil's Mistress centers on the fictional character Angelica Fanshawe (played by Andrea Riseborough), a young woman who is forced to marry her cousin Harry (played by Ben Aldridge). Their marriage isn't great, but she tries to make the best of it. Harry gives up his manor to the enemy, which was the worst thing he could do as the King Charles I (played by Peter Capaldi) has him killed by a firing squad.

After her husband's death, Angelica is kicked out of her home and is forced to live on the streets as a beggar. Eventually, she decides to take her life into her own hands and joins the rebellion. She later marries Thomas Rainsborough (played Michael Fassbender), a former Royal Navy captain turned Roundhead. However, despite being in love with Rainsborough, Angelica must deal with her feelings for her friend Edward Sexby (played by John Simm).

Final Thoughts: If your looking for a historical mini-series about the English Civil War, you're going to be quite disappointed. The main character, Angelica, is a fictional character, who happens to have romantic relationships with historical figures.

The cast does a great job in all their roles, though John Simm as Edward Sexby gives a standout performance. Also, Peter Capaldi does as excellent job as the king.

The picture quality is decent for a single-disc release that is over three hours long. Speaking of running-time, the USA release is 25 minutes shorter than the original UK version. There are several scenes that feel too shorten and there are way too many "jump to jump" scenes. From my understanding, the original version had more nudity and violence.

Overall, I ended up liking The Devil's Mistress. Being over three hours, there are a few boring scenes here and there, but with a great cast, beautiful scenery and a historical setting, it was still a good watch. I'm crossing my fingers that the full UK version will be released one day in the near future.

A Little Note: A sequel mini-series "New Worlds" aired in 2014.