The Duke

The Duke is a film that could have been made as an Ealing Comedy 60 years ago with Alec Guinness and Edie Martin in the lead roles. But back then they wouldn't have been allowed show the vigorous sex scene that kicks the third act into motion or hear lead character Kempton Bunton splutter the funniest use of the F-word in a long time. It's old fashioned fun that doesn't have to sand it's edges off anymore.

Standing up to authority is a Northern trait and Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) is a fine practitioner of the art. He's sick of being told what to do and when to do it and his latest campaign is against the TV licence, a tax he sees as unfair to the poor and the elderly. His wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren) is mortified by his antics and raging with him as his mouth gets him fired from one job after another. His heart is in the right place though, he's socialist through and through and stands up against bullshit the second he sees it. A trip south to London to champion his latest cause sees him come home with a tasty souvenir - Francisco Goya’s Portrait of The Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It's been stolen and now it's hiding in his cupboard and a ransom note is winging it's way through the post.

Truth is stranger than fiction. A quote attributed to Mark Twain that feels perfect for this true story, the last movie directed by Roger Mitchell before he sadly passed away in 2021. Ok, it's not exactly the truth but the broad strokes are the same. A thief wandered into the National Gallery through a bathroom window one night in 1961 and stole a masterpiece. The police were baffled and concluded that it was a perfectly planned heist carried out by an experienced criminal. The juxtaposition of their conclusions and the reality of the situation is just one of many laughs in this gentle and amiable comedy. The courtroom set finale too, deep dives into the comedy of the situation and will leave you grinning from ear to ear as Kempton wins over everyone and I mean everyone. 

The story isn't without it's human side either. Kempton and Dorothy have suffered a loss in their past that would split many a couple apart. He's dealing with grief in his own way but Dorothy is trapped by it, unable to talk about it, unwilling to think about it. At first you'll wonder why Helen Mirren took a role that seems to consist of making breakfast and tea for her husband and son Jackie (Fionn Whitehead) and grumbling about everything but as she's forced by circumstance to face her pain her performance takes a quietly powerful turn. It's Broadbent's film though, he robs every scene. He's every eccentric Da you've ever met, every neighbour who's always scheming, that co-worker who'll always pipe up and make you laugh. He's a lovable rogue you'll side with always and he turns The Duke into a movie that's just the ticket in a time of seemingly constant misery.

The Duke is in cinemas now. It's very enjoyable. Bond fans will get a big kick out of it too.