The Last Duel

Cleverly written and masterfully made reconstruction of the last ever trial by combat between chevaliers of Medieval France. Wonderful dialogs and various points of view of the three main protagonists build up the atmosphere gradually, culminating in the final punch-up. The intense, bloody duel is the crowning glory of this exquisite acting recital delivered by Damon, Driver and Jodie Comer too. Similarly, Affleck greatly enjoys his debauched nobleman. Scott quite possibly came up with the movie of the year. P.S.: And once again, a great soundtrack from Harry Gregson-Williams. CONFESS!!! (12/05/2021)

Amazing film. This time, Ridley Scott's reliably great direction meets an equally great script that plays beautifully with the viewer. Three main characters, three perspectives on one thing... And although the perspectives differ, it doesn't necessarily mean that any of them is lying. All this with flawless performances and a beautiful production design. And of course, the titular duel. Only once in a while does a film like this come along whose only flaw is that it's not a bit longer. (04/10/2022)

It was good, but beware, the trailers are deceptive. The Last Duel isn't nearly as epic as Kingdom of Heaven or Robin Hood. In fact, except two short and fairly small battles and a final clash, it is a fairly intimate affair that usually gets by with a few people talking to each other. But that doesn't matter at all. The Last Duel tells the story from three different points of view, and logically the one who is currently telling the story is considered the biggest hero and the purest character – after all, a douchebag will rarely consider themselves a douchebag – and it's up to the viewer to figure out who's the real hero, who's the victim, and who's the opportunist. That's the only major complaint I have with The Last Duel. It's all a bit too easy to read, and there's unfortunately not enough room for any hesitation or ambiguity in the end for the film to provoke the discussions the makers obviously wanted. Or rather, it did, but it's probably very easy to agree. In any case, Adam Driver and Jodie Comer are great, Matt Damon is very good, and Ben Affleck clearly enjoyed being able to play a character that suits him while being distinctive enough not to get lost next to the central trio. Additionally, Ridley Scott manages to pull off the visuals and sell the dialogue in the intimate scenes, but then when he gets the chance to really step it up, he doesn't hold back. Plus, thanks to the form, and indeed the triple retelling of the events leading up to the fight, it moves forward very quickly, making the two hours go by unexpectedly briskly. Go for it. And preferably to a hall with the best sound possible, the duel is a blast visually and especially in terms of sound. (10/20/2021)

This ingenious variation on the concept of three different perspectives on a single event, which was most famously presented in Kurosawa’s Rashomon, is built on a carefully constructed screenplay and its solid execution. But here the confusedly reconstructed historical setting (immersive battles and artificial-looking cities) fully serves the interests of the story and the characters, who, together with the actors playing them, carry this excellent film. Though, following the model of Rashomon, The Last Duel is primarily concerned with a single moment; the depiction of the broader context is essential for the film, because it is in that context that both of the individual actors present themselves, or rather how they perceive themselves. Self-regard and self-presentation are the root of the clash of perspectives, and at the core stands a brilliant illustration of how the whole of history is distorted by the fact that it was formulated by men. The final third of the film offers the perspective or rather the truth of a woman in relation to “truths” from the perspective of men. It’s not only the fact that, from a dramatic point of view, everything for which the script gradually lays the groundwork is brilliantly put to use, but primarily the fact that, with devastatingly unpleasant eloquence, it puts forth the absurdity of the maxim “this is a man’s world”, which looms over not only this particular story of one woman, which is told by two men, but also the entire history of a patriarchal society that not only fails to listen to women, but also a priori judges them according to its own established viewpoints. The woman’s perspective thus reveals not only her story in the shadow of men and their disregard, but also how their definition of themselves is shaped by privileges and ideals about themselves based on the fulfilment of particular contemporary masculine roles of the gallant knight protector and the honourable, erudite heartbreaker. Ridley Scott then brilliantly brings to life this intimate drama and all its levels within the perfectionist staging of a historical epic that does not draw attention to itself, but works as a necessary materialisation of a particular historical period characterised by strictly defined gender roles and norms. The final titular duel then gets its intensity not only thanks to its excellent formalistic depiction, but primarily because it represents a dramatic climax, which, unlike the opening sequence, we no longer perceive through the lens of the two male protagonists, as we rather identify with the woman who is forced to observe the whole situation. The Last Duel is thus an entirely atypical Hollywood project, whose large budget serves for the creation of an intimate drama with unfortunately far-reaching significance, and where the historical setting puts forth the negative traits that persist at the core of our society to this day. (10/20/2021)

I would give I don't know what to be a part of a Ridley Scott shoot and get a glimpse of his art, his films look so real. One long camera shot captures the mood of the entire Middle Ages – a cathedral under construction, a stone bridge with a dirt road, huts by the river with boats floating on it, a peasant with an ox team, and behind him a cohort of soldiers on horseback, cattle behind a fence, dirty pigs wallowing in the mud, mangy dogs running around, and all that brown-tinted medieval gloom; beautiful. And then there's the story, which could be cheaply flushed down the drain as a politically correct me-too tale, but it's not. It is a powerful story about the strength of a woman who fights for her honour despite the threat of cruel death by burning. And at the end, it cuts to what is probably the best jousting I've seen in the cinema, even considering they so rarely appear in films. Jodie Comer is superb, and the guys are overshadowed by Adam Driver, he's a stud. And Ridley, once it's over, it's gonna hurt. (10/23/2021)