When was the last time royalty was legally allowed to hunt commoners? I mean, you know it must have happened before and –I’m assuming- it doesn’t happen any longer…so when did that change? And why? I suppose we know the “why?” but that line blurs more every day, doesn’t it?
Three ne’er-do-wells … or were they rapscallions? Miscreants? Blackguards? Varlets? Who can tell these days? Clearly what we need here is someone who grew up in 19th century London with the sensibilities of a Midwestern homebody yelling, “GET OFF MY LAWN!” to identify these fellows correctly. However you label Dean, Duncan, and DJ Beatroot (Rian Gordon, Lewis Gribben, and Viraj Juneja), these three teen boys are being punished. But they’re being punished English-style, which means taking them camping.
Let me tell you know, camping-as-punishment would have worked on me. I never again shall spend days without electronic devices in the company of people I have not chosen. Such is irrelevant; I just wanted you to know I thought the premise had merit.
The trio, along with a voluntary loner, Ian (Samuel Bottomley) have been tasked to clean their slate of assault crimes against indoor plumbing by attempting to capture the Duke of Edinburgh award. Such amounts to wandering the Scottish Highlands like butt-munches for a couple of days. Little does 
anyone know that the locals, led by the Duke himself (Eddie Izzard) take lethal exception to wanderers. The boys don’t realize this until they’ve used bits of their trail map to roll joints.
ironically, the film is a little disjointed; it essentially amounts to four idiot boys slow to the realization that this particular countryside isn’t just your average shepherd’s pie … and then several more idiot adults slow to the realization that they’re in a silly film. I thought I’d have trouble telling the four boys apart as film tends generally to display a group of teenage boys as an animalistic collective, something feral, rude, and beastly … like a pack of hyenas or a Trump rally. However, I had little trouble telling these four apart, mostly because their journey seemed to center around the imaginary career of DJ Beatroot, who apparently isn’t above giving copies his demo CD to local farmers. All of his songs are about his dick. Hey, write what you know.
I can’t say Get Duked! will or should win awards of any kind – it’s a little too pat happy ending and “isn’t it fun to ridicule local law enforcement” for my tastes. Also, the boys make one terrible move in the middle of the film that would probably define the rest of the action were we not already swimming in the black comedy genre. As is, I still found their problem-solving and solution a little on the “really?!” side. But there isn’t a good reason why you can’t waste ninety minutes enjoying the antics of delinquents kinda making good and kinda not. I’d especially recommend Get Duked! To folks who enjoyed Hunt for the Wilderpeople; the themes, action, and tone all run along similar lines.
Four teensters get lost in the brae
And discover they’re all local prey
Hunted for sport
No chance to abort
Field trips have changed much since my day
Rated R, 87 Minutes
Director: Ninian Doff
Writer: Ninian Doff
Genre: The one where you wonder if this is parody or historical recreation
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Fork-wielding teens
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Royalty
