A priceless true story
2021-07-23
$11.0M
96 min
In 1961, a 60-year-old taxi driver stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history. What happened next became the stuff of legend.
Nice to finally watch <em>'The Duke'</em> at the cinema, given it had been delayed from September 2020 and I didn't get around to it during its February 2022 release - managed to catch one of the last few showings this afternoon.
I don't usually check out trailers but I did unintentionally see one for this before a different film and it did look good - and I, now that I've seen it, can confirm that to be the case. It's very British, North Eastern English to be exact, with Jim Broadbent sporting an amusing Geordie accent - I'm a Southerner, but it sounded spot on to me.
Broadbent is a great choice to play the main character, bringing all the necessary qualities to a role like Kempton Bunton. Helen Mirren is also involved to pleasant and noteworthy effect. Matthew Goode has a smaller role too.
It is quite the true story that this film is based upon, one that is told in a fun but also meaningful manner - sometimes it is a bit too sweet for my liking, though for the vast majority it's neatly heartfelt. Cool to see the <em>'<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/dr-no/" rel="nofollow">Dr. No</a>'</em> connection in there, also.
A charmer. No doubt worth a watch if you get the chance.
Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren are two performers I tend to follow and give any production they are in a try. This is yet another movie based on actual events. I have nothing against that obviously if it is well done, but as someone who writes novels I am sometimes tempted to ask if production companies could support screenwriters who write pure fiction a bit more often.
But that observation takes nothing away from this production. Broadbent is good throughout, especially when he charms the jury in a courtroom scene, which is nearly worth watching the movie all by itself. Helen Mirren disappears into her role as the almost crumpled housewife and does a great job. The film held my interest and I didn’t see the slight twist in the plot coming, though it feels right once it is revealed.
I will be willing to watch the movie again if the opportunity arises, which for me is what separates the adequate programming from the truly entertaining.
