The Last Duel

After another weekend of multiple films - which seems to be a frequent occurrence once we enter October in most years - I'm shocked to find The Last Duel flopping. Especially at the hands of the messy and unnecessary Halloween sequel.

But to be honest, it's not the film's fault and the marketing team for this one has failed it tremendously. There's no way that an R-rated, Ridley Scott historical piece with Matt Damon (generally bankable), Ben Affleck (same, plus added interest with the JLo thing right now), Adam Driver (an actor probably at his best these days), and Jodie Comer (a growing intrigue with mainstream audiences) should be failing unless...it wasn't marketed at all?

I've not seen any trailers for this (I know they exist, but are seldom) and the posters and advertisements are a minimum and unintriguing. To a certain extent, it feels like this was almost released secretly, and against a blockbuster sequel - no matter how good or bad it is. 

And that's a shame because The Last Duel, for most audiences, is pretty damn great and interesting. 

The Last Duel tells the compelling true story (or at least "based" on a true story) of Marguerite de Carrouges (Comer) and her relationship with two men: her husband, Sir Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and her accused rapist, Jacques Le Gris (Driver). The film belongs to the three of them with a heavy "co"-starring role by Ben Affleck, outfitted in corny makeup that eventually grows on you. The story is heavily historical, especially as it begins, taking us throughout French history and the design of society back then (i.e. kings, squires, courts, etc.). For many, this may be boring, but I found it entertaining and interesting without ever being too much, likely because it never spends a whole lot of time explaining itself, hoping you'll keep up with it along the way. 

Its story is presented in 3 chapters: the truth according to Jean de Carrouges, the truth according to Jacques le Gris, and the TRUTH according to Marguerite. This approach is - quite frankly - incredible, even if it makes things somewhat repetitive. This should be a film you're willing to dedicate two and a half hours to, while digesting it along the way. Across these 3 truths, there are nuances among the scenes and observations of certain interactions that build a story with fully fleshed out characters, motivations, and relationships. It all boils to return to the scene that is previewed at the start with, you guessed it, the last duel. 

"Gonna take my horse to the Old Town Roooo -
OOO my gawd, he has a lance!"

Much of the success of these characters and scenes that you'll see "versions" of multiple times comes from the performances, all of which are impressive and also nuanced. Each character obviously has a more favorable perspective of themselves (particularly the men) so to see how the stories differ throughout is both entertaining and worth keeping an eye out for the things that change slightly throughout. Each actor, including Affleck, is able to slightly change their performance and nature slightly, forcing easily changing opinions by the audience as more and more layers are peeled back. Both Damon and Driver are impeccable here, but the film is really Comer's. Her performance is probably the most - say it with me - nuanced of the bunch, being the victim for almost the entirety of the film both by the society of medieval times but also by the rape. 

"Do you understand how long
it took to do this hair?"

By the time we get to the duel, there's a wildly palpable tension, even if you're exhausted by the film by this point, and a last minute reveal of certain "rules" drives it up even further. Given that I was completely unaware of this story and this is an R-rated Scott film where nothing is guaranteed, I was hanging onto the edge of my seat for the outcome of the duel. Ultimately, it's one of the best, most brutal scenes of the year and the ending is satisfying in many ways. 

While I can't deny the film is well-made, I also found this to be the area that felt the most "meh" to me when compared to the story, organization, and performances. I feel like the cinematography could have been consistently special (it's not), the editing and pacing moves at a breakneck pace (there's a ton of story to tell when you have to tell three versions of it), and the original score is incredible but woefully, woefully underused. This collection of statements is somewhat shocking to me thinking back to something like Gladiator where most of this was a driving force for that film's success. And if The Last Duel had nailed these things, we may honestly be looking at a perfect score.

Despite those final, small/medium qualms, The Last Duel is worth your time and money. It's approach to storytelling is special and combined with the performances and Scott's direction; they're all captivating. The culmination is intense and The Last Duel lives up to its name - joining Scott's other historical pieces as some of his "best". 

CONS

• Because of the approach, the film can be slightly repetitive. In this way, it definitely feels like a 2.5 hour movie
• Moves along at a breakneck pace. There's not much room for you to fall behind most of the time
• I wish the technical aspects had been as good as I wanted them to be
• More memorable cinematography
• Using the original score WAY more

PROS

• The division of the "truths", while creating some repetition, is unique and ensures that we truly know these characters from all angles
• It leads to a duel then that's quite intense because of all that has come before it
• Stellar performances across the board. Jodie Comer is MVP in my opinion
• Relevant material to the societal landscape today as it concerns women, speaking their truths, and the reaction of others
• When there is violence, it's pretty great. The duel itself is brutal
• Awesome - even if underused - original score
• Lots of history for the buffs out there
• Long, thoughtful approach to an intriguing and captivating story

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10