This week, on our fortnightly cinema trip, we eschewed our usual action/superhero/sci-fi fare, and opted for this one-off comedy-drama: the true story of a working-class man called Kempton Bunton who stole a portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in 1961. I was truly surprised when my husband suggested seeing it (he usually likes the familiarity of well-known franchises!), but I was eager to take him up on the offer of seeing something different.
We were certainly rewarded for stepping outside our comfort zone. This is a joyous film, filled with mirth (so much mirth that a lady on the back row was perpetually howling with unrestrained glee) and empathy. The story of Bunton’s incredible (seemingly spontaneous) heist provides an unlikely vehicle for profound ideas about justice and family. The film follows his passionate campaigning for free TV licences for pensioners, his eventful trip to London, and his subsequent encounters with the law. His wife and son are also centre stage, and it is nice to know that Bunton’s grandson was involved in the making of the film and provided new details of the family’s side of the story.
The acting is superb (with such stalwarts as Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren, they couldn’t really go wrong). The dialogue is quick and witty – the courtroom scenes in particular somehow perfectly balance humour and tension. The cinematography is stylish. And the plot is straightforward, but with a pleasing twist.
We both walked away emotionally affected, and delighted that we had chosen to see this film. It was a pleasure.
Cryptic Meg 