In 1999, Roger Michell made his mark on cinema history when he directed Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts in the iconic British rom com, Notting Hill. Since then he steadily continued to work with top acting talent throughout his career, from Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson in Changing Lanes, to Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford in Morning Glory. With 11 feature films under his belt and having worked with the likes of Peter O’Toole, sadly Roger Michell’s filmmaking career has come to an end after the director passed away on September 22nd 2021. Fortunately, Michell made one last film before his death with the Jim Broadbent and Dame Helen Mirren starring, The Duke.
The film tells the story of an outspoken pensioner from Newcastle of the name Kempton Bunton, played by Jim Broadbent. Bunton is a retired taxi driver, aspiring writer and one man political protest, fighting against the governments TV licence tax. Struggling to be taken seriously and get the attention he wants, Bunton resorts to rather extreme measures to give his cause the platform he believes it deserves… And by that I mean he steals the Goya’s Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery and holds it for ransom.
Fortunately, Roger Michell’s career closes on a high as The Duke is as charming as feel good films get. I’m usually rather apprehensive when it comes to feel good films as I feel that the ‘good’ that happens tends to be heavily manufactured and unearned, but with The Duke, Michell finds the perfect sweet spot as we truly gets a sense of Kempton’s struggle in life without getting bogged down in it. The stakes are high for Kempton and it’s that very acknowledgement of high stakes struggle that makes The Duke a truly engaging watch.
This being said it is in my opinion, what makes The Duke worth watching is the empathy within the films narrative and themes. For example, Helen Mirren plays more than just the supportive wife role, or in this films case, the unsupportive wife. Mirren’s Dorothy Bunton may be an old and emotionally unavailable woman, however in the films second half, Dorothy is given greater character development as we learn that she won’t talk with Kempton, or with anyone, about the passing of her daughter and is yet to visit the grave. I found Dorothy’s storyline to be unconventionally mature and surprisingly profound for a feel good film that does the topic of loss and grief justice.
With strong performances from Dunkirk’s Fionn Whitehead, as well as, Dame Helen Mirren of course, but perhaps most importantly by Jim Broadbent, The Duke is a beautiful swansong for Roger Michell. Confidently expressing deep themes without the conventional feel good gloss, Michell demonstrates his excellence as a director with a film that aptly reminds us to honour the dead, whilst also being there to take care of the living.
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