At the movies: The Duke

In 1961 a portrait of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, was stolen from the National Gallery in London. Four years later, a man named Kempton Bunton (portrayed here by Jim Broadbent) was found to be responsible for the theft.

Roger Michell’s The Duke tells Bunton’s story, a man who felt it was his duty to fight social injustice in what ways he could and claimed that the theft of the portrait was an attempt to get support to the people who he felt needed it, not feeling that an expensive painting was an appropriate use of taxpayer money.

I’d rather not say much more about the story for, if you are familiar with the real-world event, you will already know how it plays out and, if you are not, then I would simply recommend you go see this movie.

Jim Broadbent is delightful as the idealistic Bunton, often lending him a near Shakespearean voice as the man attempts to rouse the people around him to his causes. The lovable nature Broadbent brings to him makes it nearly impossible to root against him, no matter how difficult things are becoming for his long-suffering wife Dorothy, portrayed here by Helen Mirren.

The Duke’s biggest fault was probably in that it has a whole separate movie inside it, where Kempton and Dorothy have yet to properly grieve together over the death of their daughter over a year ago. Helen Mirren brings a wonderful comedic energy to the story of the stolen masterpiece, but if this sub-story about the loss of a child had been more center-stage, I’m certain she would’ve stolen the show.

The story of a single person standing up against a system in the name of the people isn’t exactly new. But, at this point, I think there’s a good chance we’re all tapped out of new stories.

All I think really matters is that when we get these familiar stories, they present a fresh perspective, or new characters, or at the very least the story is told with passion and care, and at the very least a particular level of competence (especially when based on real events).

I’d say The Duke very deftly ticks all those boxes. It’s the age-old story of how far people are willing to go for one another. While I doubt it’ll be the film that changes your life, I find it hard to believe you won’t enjoy it.

Four out of five stars

Nat Dolan lives in Auckland and is an actor and movie enthusiast