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Nov 14, 2023 · November 14, 2023. Charlie Gray. Before we met him, we expected that Matthew Goode would have a certain refined British humor, and it turns out we were right. His success with hit series like...
Dec 31, 2014 · Matthew Goode, above at the Lambs Club in Manhattan, is building his portfolio of British and American roles. Piotr Redlinski for The New York Times. By Sarah Lyall. Dec. 31, 2014. Lovers of “The...
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Mar 26, 2024 · But despite his CV, the father of three displays a humble side that is, quite clearly, tinged with imposter syndrome. Throughout our interview (Goode dials in while stirring a homemade spag bol in the Edinburgh flat he’s currently filming from), he talks of the great actors he’s worked with – Julianne Moore, Emma Thompson, Matthew Rhys, Nicole Kidman – but hints he should never have ...
May 8, 2024 · Woody Allen’s Muse and Period Drama Pedigree. In 2005, Goode found himself under the direction of the legendary Woody Allen in the psychological thriller “Match Point.”. Here, he played a charming tennis player entangled in a web of deceit and murder. Working with Allen was a turning point, showcasing Goode’s ability to navigate complex ...
- A delightfully British true-crime caper that’s stranger-than-fiction.
- What’s the best British crime caper?
- The 25 Best Heist Movies
- Best Reviewed Movies of 2022
- Verdict
By Ryan Leston
Updated: Feb 25, 2022 6:50 pm
Posted: Feb 25, 2022 6:44 pm
The Duke hits U.K. theaters on Feb. 25, 2022.
Every good caper starts with an eccentric oddball, and The Duke is no different. Meet Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), a 57-year-old cab driver who, in 1961, just might have pulled off the wackiest art theft in history. Based on a true story, Bunton allegedly broke into the National Gallery in London, pilfered Francisco Goya’s Portrait of the Duke of Wellington, then hoofed it back to his home in Newcastle, where he hid the painting from his wife in the back of a wardrobe… all while using it to blackmail the British government into providing free TV licences for pensioners.
If that sounds far-fetched, it’s because it really is.
The League of Gentlemen (1960)
The Italian Job (1969)
The First Great Train Robbery (1979)
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
The Bank Job (2008)
The Hatton Garden Job (2017)
The chemistry between Broadbent and Mirren is absolutely blinding as the pair pulls off some of the best performances of their careers. There’s an unabashed hopefulness about Bunton which Broadbent plays in earnest, while Mirren’s quick-tempered wife bounces off his working-class charm. She’s every bit as witty as Broadbent, too, reining him in when Bunton veers too close to calamity.
Well, almost. After spotting the sale of the Portrait of the Duke of Wellington on TV, he’s about to go a bit too far.
Kempton Bunton is more Feathers McGraw than The Pink Panther’s Phantom.
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The “heist,” if you can call it that, is hilarious in its simplicity, made even more so by the comments of police chief Sir Joseph Simpson (Charles Edwards), who vastly overestimates the degree of criminal he’s dealing with. The fast-paced, Ocean’s Eleven-style cut is masterfully done by director Roger Michell, but the thief is certainly no professional. He’s more Feathers McGraw than The Pink Panther’s Phantom. And when the police later suggest that he’s a “trained commando,” it’s enough to make Bunton choke on his cuppa.
In fact, Michell doesn’t shy away from the almost slapstick nature of this weird caper, with an off-beat jazz score from George Fenton that channels some of the greatest heist movies in cinema history with a dash of The Pink Panther. It’s clear that both actors and filmmakers alike had a lot of fun with The Duke, as both performances and direction are playful, light-hearted, and full of old-school charm. Throw in a dash of stock footage to ground the drama in reality (while giving it an old cinema newsreel feel) and it adds up to a charming, hilarious, and over-the-top caper that will keep you laughing the whole way through.
Broadbent obviously steals the show with his quixotic take on Kempton Bunton, regaling the judge and jury with quips as he’s being examined by the prosecution. Matthew Goode makes an unexpectedly brilliant appearance, too, as Bunton’s educated (but sympathetic) defence barrister.
The Duke is unashamedly old-fashioned, channelling the best of British comedy in a true-crime caper that could easily have been a Peter Sellers yarn. But the real fun occurs when Bunton’s scheme unravels – a plot that barely made any sense in the first place. A touch of social commentary only adds to the film, elevating The Duke from an admittedly brilliant farce to a sensitive examination of what was wrong with 1960s Britain.
The Duke is a hilarious romp through one of the most audacious art thefts the world has ever seen.
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The Duke is a searingly funny, quintessentially British comedy with some truly joyous performances from Jim Broadbent and Dame Helen Mirren. The laughs are undercut with themes of social justice and progressive thinking, turning this almost-heist flick into more of a social satire. The Duke pokes fun at the establishment with a Robin Hood lead who ...
Apr 17, 2018 · Matthew Goode, who played Henry Talbot in the final season of Downton Abbey, is back in a new period drama series. He’s appearing as Philip Durrant in the BBC’s latest Agatha Christie mini-series, Ordeal By Innocence, alongside Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark), Bill Nighy (Love Actually) and Catherine Keener (Get Out).
Jan 24, 2019 · Matthew Goode: I went and met Jane Tranter, our phenomenal producer with a great track record, and she gave me the most fantastic 10-minute [summary] of a very dense, complicated book. She really ...
