The Duke Review

The Duke is a comedy-drama about how one man used the theft of Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington as a way to enact social change in 1960s Britain.

Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) is a taxi driver in Newcastle and a political campaigner with a confrontational personality. Kempton’s campaigning ways lead to him getting imprisoned for not paying his TV licence and sacked from his job. When Kempton goes to London to campaign for his causes he ends up stealing a painting from the National Gallery so he can hold the government to ransom in order for them to give the TV licence for free to the over 75s.

The Duke had a long journey to being released. It premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival and its release was delayed because of the pandemic and a changed distribution deal. The release took so long that the director, Roger Michell died in September 2021. Fortunately, this long trip was worth it.

The Duke’s marketing has focused mostly on the film being a comedy. The trailers made it look like an aging man was able to fool the authorities with his crime and bamboozled people for his reason as to why he stole the painting. This was a bit misleading because it was a lot more dramatic than expected.

The main focus of The Duke was on a working-class family from the North East. Kempton and his wife, Dorothy (Helen Mirren) had struggles: both emotional and financial. They suffered from grief because one of their children died and they never quite processed it. Dorothy doesn’t want to speak about it and Kempton felt guilty. Kempton and Dorothy had different personalities. Kempton was belligerent and willing to stand his ground even if it got him in trouble, whilst Dorothy had the view of just getting on with it.

Kempton and Dorothy’s relationship was the heart of the film. The writers ensured that the film was a character piece and Broadbent and Mirren brought them to life. There were genuine moments between the two like when Dorothy asked Kempton to stop his campaigning and get a proper job, and when Dorothy discovered one of Kempton’s plays. A little moment I really liked was when Kempton went to a bakery to buy a pie and he asks the baker to damage it a bit.

The Duke was a film brimming with acting talent. Broadbent and Mirren were obviously the big draws but they were surrounded by recognisable and emerging actors. Fionn Whitehead had a major role as Kempton and Dorothy’s son, Jackie. Jackie was a good-looking Georgie lad who was a skilled worker, harboured dreams of leaving Newcastle, and ends up getting roped in with his father’s scheme.

Matthew Goode was another major name in the film, he played Kempton’s barrister. Michell’s wife, Anna Maxwell Martin had a supporting role as Dorothy’s supportive employer and she had some left-wing views. Aimée Kelly and Charlotte Spencer were emerging actors who play the girlfriends of the Bunton boys. Kelly was a nice Georgie girl while Spencer’s role can be summed up as ‘posh bitch.’ Fleabag’s Sian Clifford even appeared for just two scenes.

Whilst there was a lot of drama, Michell and the screenwriters did ensure there was fun and comedy. Many of the transitions to locations like London gave the film the energy of a ‘60s caper and the editor was making the best use of stock footage. Kempton’s testamentary in the dock was more like a stand-up routine. He was cracking jokes that had the whole court in stitches and there was some genuine humour there. The film was littered with small jokes that will raise a smile or a chuckle.

The Duke was a film that played fast and loose with the facts. The film opens with a cold opening showing the start of the trial before flashing back to six months earlier. In reality the painting was missing for four years and how the painting was returned was changed for the film. To be fair to the film, there was an effective twist, especially for people who don’t know much about the true story.

The Duke was a genuine film because of its lead actors and its look at working-class life in the ‘60s, whilst also having a sense of fun.