Directed by Roger Michell
Starring Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead and Matthew Goode

If nothing else, The Duke may very well be the most inoffensively charming and delicately delightful kidnapping and ransom movie you’re likely to see. That’s because the hostage is none other than Goya’s portrait of The Duke of Wellington, which has been stolen from the National Gallery in London in 1961 by a suspect you would least expect. The thief is 60-year-old Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), who’s a bit of a closet activist that intends to return the portrait if the government meet certain conditions, much to the chagrin of his pessimistic, yet loyal wife, Dorothy (Helen Mirren). 

To this day, the real-life theft of The Duke of Wellington remains the first and only theft in the Gallery’s history. Once the film has secured the audience on its thieving protagonist’s side after establishing his charitable motive and spending time getting to know his wife and son (played by Fionn Whitehead), everything it covers is given a very light-hearted treatment. The standout example of this is his trial (not a spoiler, I promise. The Duke’s opening scene gives us a snippet of his trial). This is where Kempton’s daring act of goodwill, and the film for that matter, is most triumphant and stands its best chance at winning over all spectators. Well, possibly with the exception of his wife!

While The Duke is mild-mannered fun, it is also a little on the slow side and flat throughout. There are a few brief scenes depicting authorities gaining some extra assistance into their investigation of the stolen artwork. This inclusion into the story offered another dimension to its perspective that would surely have been fun, even intriguing, to explore, yet is ultimately curtailed.

The Duke is showing as part of the 2021 British Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia from November 5th to December 1st.

Moviedoc thanks Miranda Brown Publicity for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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