Film

The Duke

Name: The Duke
Genre: Comedy, Drama, History
Released: 2021
Cast: Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Anna Maxwell Martin, Matthew Goode

A delightful true-crime caper about an ordinary pensioner who steals a Goya from the National Gallery in 1961—the heist that shouldn't have worked, starring Jim Broadbent as the wryly principled taxi driver at its heart. It's a gem: funny, tender, and utterly winning.

TMDb rating

3.5

If you liked this

The Man Who Wasn't There2001

A Coen Brothers noir about a barber drawn into crime through small bad decisions. Like The Duke, it finds dark comedy in ordinary men caught in extraordinary circumstances, with sympathetic wisdom beneath the cynicism.

But Bleak, in black and white, and driven more by atmosphere than plot momentum. It moves deliberately and won't give you easy catharsis.

Spirited Away2001

A heist of sorts—a girl's wages and name stolen, her fight to reclaim them. Both films pit everyday decency against corrupt authority with humour and heart, though one has literal magic and the other only has love.

But Animated fantasy in Japanese. If you expect realism or British restraint, you'll find neither here, though the emotional truth runs just as deep.

This Is England2007

A portrait of ordinary people—a boy, a subculture, a nation—shaped by anger at injustice. Like The Duke, it takes working-class grievance seriously without ever being sanctimonious, and finds surprising warmth in its characters.

But It turns darker and harsher as it goes. The first half's charm gives way to something rawer and more troubling, which some viewers find tonally jarring.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Duke

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Rififi1955

Both treat the heist as a moral question, not a spectacle. The theft reveals character.

A French heist noir with barely any dialogue in its famous fifteen-minute theft sequence. It's methodical, thrilling, and deeply humanist about thieves who steal for different reasons. The connection: both films prove the theft matters less than why a person commits it.

But Black and white, subtitled, and slow-burn patient. The robbery is the point, not plot twists, so if you need conventional excitement, this is austere.

In Bruges2008

Two hitmen hiding in a medieval city; a small cast; moral questions wrapped in gallows humour and gorgeous cinematography. It shares The Duke's gift for balancing affection with darkness, and its conviction that small lives matter.

But Violent and profane. The whimsy can feel overwrought if you're not in the mood for a film that loves its own cleverness.

The Pembrokeshire Murders2021

A meticulous true-crime investigation with Luke Evans and Jon Mallard, but its heart is in how it treats the detectives—flawed, worn, brilliant. Like The Duke, it's deeply humane about the people doing the work.

But Heavy subject matter. It's a procedural, not a heist, so if you want lightness or novelty, this is steady-handed and familiar.

White Oleander2002

A mother-daughter story told with surprising tenderness despite betrayal and loss. Michelle Pfeiffer and Alison Lohman reach the same emotional register as Broadbent and Mirren—genuine, unguarded, unsentimental.

But Melodramatic plot with an adopted-daughter narrative that can feel thin if you're not drawn into its domestic intimacy. It wears its heart very openly.

The Ladykillers2004

A group of criminals pretend to be musicians to rob a bank from a boarding house, but a devout elderly landlady upends their plans. Coen Brothers again, but lighter—caper comedy where kindness and principle actually matter.

But An American remake of a 1955 British film, and broader in comedy style. The sentiment can read as saccharine if you prefer sharper edges.

A Fish Called Wanda1988

A heist film that never forgets its characters are real people with genuine stakes and affections. Brilliant comedy, but it earns its laughs through emotional truth—Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michael Palin are unforgettable.

But Dated 1980s style. Some of the sexual politics haven't aged perfectly, and the comedy, while clever, belongs to its era.

Made in Dagenham2010

Sally Hawkins leads a true story about working-class women fighting for equal pay in 1968. It has The Duke's faith that ordinary people with moral conviction can challenge the system, even if they lose.

But Earnest and a bit predictable. It ticks the boxes of a social-issue film without much stylistic surprise, and the victory feels muted.

My Octopus Teacher2020

Both centre on a deep, unlikely relationship. The Duke has Broadbent and Mirren; this has a human and a cephalopod. Both prove love's transformative power.

A nature documentary where a filmmaker bonds with an octopus over a year. It sounds whimsical; it's profound. Like The Duke, it's about an outsider finding connection and meaning in an unexpected relationship, with real tears and no manipulation.

But Documentary pacing. It's meditative rather than propulsive, and built on observation, not narrative architecture. Also, it's about an octopus, which some find silly.

F for Fake1973

Both ask: what makes something real? Both feature men committing crimes as acts of philosophical protest.

Orson Welles' essay-film about art forgery, deception, and who decides what's real. A meditation on why people fake things and whether it matters. Connects to The Duke's thief: not a criminal, but a man challenging authority's right to decide truth.

But Experimental, non-linear, and deliberately playful about facts. Welles talks directly to camera, digresses, and contradicts himself. It's thrilling if you like cinema that questions itself; maddening if you want clarity.