Based on real life events in 1961, this is the story of the eccentric Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) and his trial for the theft of a valuable Goya portrait, of the Duke of Wellington, from the National Gallery in London. The perpetually unemployable Bunton is a prolific and eternally unpublished playwright, and incorrigible activist, on a very minor scale, for civic justice. In his battle for free TV licence's for OAPs he is an imaginative and persistent thorn in the side of the authorities, happily risking imprisonment for his cause. Always left to pick up the pieces is long suffering wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren in repressed and frumpy mode), who despairs of her husband's publicity seeking activities, and yearns to blend into the background of society. Underlying their relationship is a family tragedy that affects each in different ways.
The efforts of Kempton and son Jackie (Fionn Whitehead) to hide the presence of the painting from Dorothy's eyes, and realise a ransom fee to be used for good causes, move the storyline along, until discovery leads to the return of the masterpiece, the subsequent trial and eventual conclusion.
A twenty first century Ealing comedy, with script and filming paying homage to the cinematic norms of the sixties. The characters and relationships are well delineated from the outset, but the middle section lacks any real dramatic tension. This flaw is amply mitigated by one of the most hilarious court scenes you'll ever see, with Matthew Goode having huge fun as Bunton's suave barrister, and Broadbent showing off his virtuosity in understated comic delivery and timing.
A genial feelgood movie with a heart warming core of humanity throughout, The Duke is by no means perfect, but that can't detract from a Jim Broadbent masterclass that will leave you smiling.
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