The Last Duel is the latest historical epic from the legendary Ridley Scott, and I have to say it’s easily his best since Gladiator. This is the first of his two films releasing this year, with House of Gucci dropping next month, and I feel bad for that film as I don’t think it can rival this one. The Last Duel was a true epic in every sense of the word, and Ridley is truly a master in the genre. He crafted such an engaging and exciting story that I knew nothing about. It features everything I love about a good epic from him – great action, good acting, and a good storyline.
The Last Duel is a revenge story set in 14th century France that follows two best friends. One goes to war and returns to discover the other has raped a soldier’s wife. No one will believe the woman, and the soldier appeals to the king of France and says he wants to fight a duel to the death, and if the other guy wins, he is innocent. So it becomes the last legally sanctioned duel in France.
Scott can be hit and miss, especially lately, but this is a 100% hit. It features some of the best direction of his career, and that’s saying a lot, given his resume. I was enthralled and mesmerized by how well shot the battle scenes were, and the titular duel lived up to the hype in terms of brutality. The pacing was great, running at 150 minutes. I was fully engaged and never bored. He crafted a story that was so compelling. As it’s to be expected, Scott tackled the genre. The Last Duel is a fantastic-looking film. It has a gritty and dark look that is perfect for the subject matter. Given the period, the costume and production design were up to par.
The Last Duel is the first screenplay written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck since winning the Oscar for Good Will Hunting, and while not as great as that classic script, it’s still solid. I welcomed the surprising Rashomon effect in telling the story from 3 points of view and an excellent narrative choice. They co-wrote the script with Oscar nominee Nicole Holofcener, and I loved her inclusion as having a female writer allowed the film to nail the female perspective of the story in a way a man couldn’t do. No disrespect to Damon or Affleck. It’s just the truth.
Adam Driver gave my favorite performance. He is excellent at playing these despicable yet charming jerks. He was a perfect villain for this story, and in the rape scene, he was in complete control of the level needed for the harshness of the act to be truly felt.
Jodie Comer is truly a chameleon. From Killing Eve to Free Guy to now this, every performance I’ve seen of hers has been different. She was so vulnerable in this film, and she broke me in the rape scene. It’s one of the most brutal scenes I’ve had to witness all year. She conveys so much pain in her screams and face during it. If she gets nominated, that’s her Oscar scene because it’s a full clip. While complex to look at, I applaud Scott for putting the camera on her face for long periods during it. It added so much power to the scene.
After The Martian and now this, I’m convinced Ridley and Damon are a fantastic match for each other. They bring out the best in one another, and Damon was good in one of his more complex and challenging roles ever. He has some intense moments opposite Comer when talking about the rape that was an acting showcase.
Now for my one issue in the film, and it’s one I feared since the set photos dropped last year. While not as bad as I expected, Affleck’s performance was still a mixed bag for me. He must be commended for really trying for the accent, but at times it came off like an SNL skit where he was playing dress-up with his blond wig and doing a comedy bit with his accent. However, there were moments that the pronunciation was decent, and I am happy you never really got a sense of his Boston accent. He just didn’t pull off the accent as well as his co-stars did. It might work for some, but for me, I’m just happy it was at least better than what I expected going in. He was quickly the weakest performance out of the main four, but thankfully he only has 10-15 minutes of screen time.
The Last Duel is a must-watch for fans of historical epics. It lives up to the grand scale of the story, and it’s a must-watch on the big screen for its breathtaking battle scenes and engaging storyline.
