Film Review: The Duke 'a fantastic crime caper'

Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren in The Duke. Photo / NZME

The Duke. 95mins. In cinemas now.
Directed by Roger Michell

The Duke is a fantastic crime caper, based on the true story of Kenton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) a 60-year old impoverished taxi driver from Newcastle who gained notoriety in the early 1960s after he admitted to having in his possession a painting by Francisco de Goya of the Duke of Marlborough, stolen from the National Gallery.

The price that the government had paid for the Goya was outrageous, he claimed. He dismisses it as "a half-baked portrait by some Spanish drunk".

Bunton had for years been a locally-recognised anti-government protester, standing on street corners, railing against old age pensioners having to pay TV licence fees to watch the BBC. The Goya theft was the perfect way for him to draw attention to the government's foibles.

While the government looked for the organised crime network they thought was responsible for the theft, Bunton made clumsily hand-written ransom demands. He would return the painting and the ransom money would go straight to charity.

The essence of the 60s is captured by costuming, décor, cars, lots of cigarettes, and clips of Coronation Street and Dr No, all handled with the affection and the lightest of touches by director Roger Michell, clearly enjoying making what turned out to be his final film.

The soundtrack adds to the film's light-heartedness. While Bunton is up to his eyes in various schemes, Helen Shapiro belts out Walking Back to Happiness and Adam Faith sings or rather hiccups What Do You Want If You Don't Want Money? Tinkling treble flurries on the piano make ironic references to the opulence of Downton Abbey.

Dorothy Bunton (Helen Mirren), Bunton's long-suffering wife, keeps the home fires burning by cleaning house for sympathetic Mrs Gowling (Anna Maxwell Martin).

We feel the pain and pathos of Dorothy's life, but even when she's picking her husband up from one of his stays in HM Prison Durham, there's a glimmer of hope for them. They've taken a pummelling but they can still dance and hold hands. Mirren and Broadbent inhabit their roles so comfortably it's hard to believe neither of them is really like that.

Jim Broadbent plays Bunton brilliantly. He's an underdog, can't hold down a job and yet he's not disgruntled, never down-trodden. His humour enables him to grab the hearts and minds of people, including his QC (Matthew Goode) and the jury, even while he's saying serious things about injustice.

Jim Broadbent's Bunton will be remembered for making us laugh out loud while he tackles big issues. He's taken the opportunities given to him by Roger Michell and the screenwriters (Richard Bean and Clive Coleman) to create an unforgettable tragi-comic hero.

Thanks to Jim Broadbent, it's a movie likely to have particular significance for the men in the audience and those who'd like to understand them a bit better. One of the year's best. Must see.

• Movies are rated: Avoid, Recommended, Highly recommended and Must see.

GIVEAWAY

The first person to bring an image or hardcopy of this review to Starlight Cinema Taupō qualifies for a free ticket to The Duke.