The Duke: Based on the Memoir 'I'm The Duke' by J.P. Duke

The memoirs of the title are not real, however the effect of concussions within the NFL are very real, and it is this that the film does a compelling job of bringing to the viewer. The plot sees an NFL player preparing for a party at his house on Superbowl Sunday – or at least this is how it appears, because the film takes a fragmented approach to the narrative, with some form of interview acting as the core of the story.

As a result there is a lot that we assume which doesn't play through, and vice versa, and there is the feeling of not wholly knowing what is real and what is not. In this narrative we get close to JP's mind – which is scatty to say the least. The film does this very well; it doesn't push it too far so that the exaggeration takes hold, but it keeps in it the realm of reality. The performance from Garrett adds to this. He gets the sportsman lingo and mentality, but he is also convincing confused at times – zoning out being something he does very well here.

The narrative perhaps brings too much together on one night to really be satisfyingly insightful, but it still works despite this and produces a real sense of character which drives it through everything else.