Get Duked! (2019/20)
Director: Ninian Doff
Screenwriter: Ninian Doff
Starring: Samuel Bottomley, Viraj Juneja, Lewis Gribben,
Rian Gordon, Eddie Izzard, James Cosmo
In recent decades British cinema has produced a string of distinctive voices, and emerging directors continue to refresh the landscape. Ninian Doff, known previously for his striking music videos, makes a confident feature debut with Get Duked!, a Scottish-set horror-comedy that channels satirical bite, kinetic visual style, and a clear generational viewpoint. The film announces Doff as a director to watch, combining a sharp script with energetic direction and a bold, idiosyncratic tone.
Get Duked! follows three schoolboys—Duncan (Lewis Gribben), the lovable but slow-witted troublemaker; Dean (Rian Gordon), the quiet, practical thinker; and DJ Beatroot (Viraj Juneja), an aspiring rapper—who opt to complete the Duke of Edinburgh award rather than face expulsion. Joined reluctantly by Ian (Samuel Bottomley), a tidy, home-schooled outsider, the group sets off on an orienteering course across the Scottish Highlands. Their trip quickly devolves into a surreal and violent game of survival, as the boys encounter overzealous locals, hallucinogenic drugs, and a sinister, aristocratic hunter played with relish by Eddie Izzard.
The film’s premise is simple, but Doff expands it into a layered satire about class, generational conflict, and British identity. The teenagers represent a restless, under-pressure younger generation, while the local farmers—led by an empathetic performance from James Cosmo—offer a more grounded, humane response to modern anxieties. The Duke, meanwhile, embodies a hostile, upper-class authoritarianism, taking class resentment to deadly extremes. By literalizing class war as a hunt, the film creates a darkly comic allegory: Britain’s social divisions are played out across an unforgiving landscape that feels at once vast and claustrophobic.
Setting and atmosphere are crucial to the film’s impact. The Highlands provide dramatic vistas—rolling hills and empty moors—that paradoxically amplify the boys’ vulnerability. Doff and his editor exploit this open space to produce claustrophobic tension: the vastness offers no easy refuge, and the characters’ isolation intensifies the film’s dread. Stylistically, Get Duked! blends slapstick and suspense, recalling survival thriller beats while never losing sight of its comic instincts. Imagine a collision between the adolescent dynamics of a coming-of-age ensemble and the merciless premise of a hunter-versus-prey story; the result is frequently hilarious and sometimes harrowing.
Choosing horror-comedy as the vehicle for these themes is a smart creative decision. The film amplifies teenage anxieties into grotesque extremes, turning real-world fears about climate, employment, and social dismissal into plot-driven terror. That tonal fusion keeps the film moving briskly: set pieces alternate between punchline-ready confrontations and genuine shocks, maintaining momentum across its lean 86-minute runtime. Music plays a significant role in sustaining that energy—Doff couples a punchy soundtrack, which includes tracks by Run the Jewels and Vince Staples alongside original cues, with rapid, inventive editing to create a propulsive, modern rhythm that mirrors his music video background.
Doff’s visual approach is confident and playful. He stages visual gags and kinetic camera work without losing control of tone, balancing broad comedy with darker, sharper moments. His prior experience directing short-form music content is evident in the film’s rhythmic assembly and in moments of heightened visual stylization. Importantly, Doff extracts committed performances from a largely inexperienced young cast while allowing veteran actors to anchor the more outlandish aspects of the story.
The four leads deliver memorable and well-matched performances. Samuel Bottomley’s Ian provides the emotional hinge—his uneasy outsider persona brings depth and occasional vulnerability to the ensemble. Rian Gordon’s Dean is understated and steady, a necessary foil to the other boys’ volatility. Viraj Juneja as DJ Beatroot brings charisma and comic timing, and Lewis Gribben’s Duncan is a scene-stealer, offering sharp comic beats and surprising warmth. The chemistry among the quartet grows stronger as the film progresses, transforming what begins as a ragged group into a cohesive, sympathetic unit.
Supporting turns are equally effective. Eddie Izzard revels in the role of the cultured but cruel antagonist, delivering an unnerving blend of camp and menace. James Cosmo and other local performers add texture to the film’s social tapestry, giving the Highlands community a mix of humor and humanity that offsets the Duke’s brutality.
Ultimately, Get Duked! succeeds because it trusts its concept and executes it with energy and clarity. It’s a film about young people and the obstacles they face, told through an audacious genre mix that both entertains and provokes. Cleverly written, crisply edited, and confidently directed, the movie showcases up-and-coming talent in front of and behind the camera and positions Ninian Doff as a distinctive new voice in British filmmaking. For viewers seeking a fast, funny, and sharply satirical ride, Get Duked! is a memorable debut.
22/24