The Last Duel (2021)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
A tremendous cast (Damon, Driver, Affleck, Comer), working with acclaimed director Ridley Scott, The Last Duel is going to draw a lot of intrigue and interest.
Timely in its subject matter, but also a return to that feeling of a big, epic movie, The Last Duel feels like “a lot of movie,” and we haven’t had one of those in a long, long time.
Will start a lot of conversations about the statements the film makes on the social hierarchy found in the 14th century and the 21st century.
NO
Trigger warning for animal abuse/animal violence and scenes involving sexual violence and rape.
Might be a little too full of itself, in terms of self-importance. Objectively, the film may not fully succeed in raising the issues it hopes to raise as effectively as it aims for. As a result, the film may feel weighted down by the male viewpoint dominating much of the film’s narrative presentation.
Some have pushed back on the use of rape as a plot device to allow two men to fight to the death. Though reductive overall, it’s a fair criticism, hard to argue against.
OUR REVIEW
Under the direction of Ridley Scott, The Last Duel is a big movie with big ideas on patriarchy and misogyny; on hubris and emotional distortion. On where true power lies in a male-driven society. Written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener, this medieval swords-and-armor showcase takes the bullet points of a true story from 14th century Paris and marries its themes to the increasingly toxic world we find ourselves in today.
Damon stars as Jean de Carrouges, a French soldier who fearlessly rushes off to battle and sees his impeccable skills on the battlefield as the greatest gift he can give to his country, his fellow soldiers, and his king. He falls smitten with Marguerite (Jodie Comer), soon to become his second wife, with the couple trying to start a family in and around de Carrouges’ desire to fight for his homeland whenever the opportunity arises.
His best friend, Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), is also a squire but in tight with the cousin of King Charles VI (an impish Alex Lawther), the Count Pierre d’Alençon (Affleck). While Le Gris and de Carrouges get along well, they truly could not be more different. For as serious and stoic as de Carrouges happens to be, Le Gris cuts loose - frequently joining the Count in carnal flings with groups of women and willing to better himself and pursue what he wants, no matter the cost.
Affleck and Damon, penning their first script together since their 1997 Oscar-winner Good Will Hunting, wrote the first two parts of the film, with Holofcener writing the third section. Adapted from Eric Jager’s 2004 best seller, “The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France,” the film is told in Rashomon-style, as we see the events leading up to the titular duel between Le Gris and de Carrouges from the perspectives of each man and then of Marguerite.
The centerpiece of the film involves an allegation of rape made by Marguerite against Le Gris. As Le Gris has met Marguerite, we see the perception that the two may have exchanged some flirtatious glances and looks along the way. Le Gris reads that as mutual attraction and believes he has fallen deeply in love with his best friend’s wife. When he is able to find Marguerite alone in her home, with servants gone and de Carrouges off fighting, his attempts to consummate those feelings leads to the encounter and Marguerite eventually discloses the horrific details to her husband upon his return.
At this time, rape is seen as a punishable crime, but it was a crime against the husband and not the woman. Women, basically, were seen as property of their husbands and serviced the home, the family, and their spouse. The fact that de Carrouges’ first response to the news is to wonder why Le Gris also tries to upset him is a significant tell of the hierarchy in play here.
A touch over two-and-a-half hours makes The Last Duel a bit too long, the film spinning its wheels more than once in trying to get these details out. We embed with each character viewing their portion of the story and see lots of interesting details emerge. de Carrouges is seen as something of a buffoon in the eyes of Le Gris, with Affleck’s unhinged and hedonistic Count rolling his eyes and perpetually annoyed whenever he comes around. Le Gris is seen as loyal in de Carrouges’ story, until he is not.
And when Marguerite’s story steps to the forefront, The Last Duel shows both men to be problematic, as Marguerite tries to navigate her way through a world that seems to care little about her as a human being and more as a functional machine.
The performances are fascinating. Damon rocks a tremendous mullet and is so tightly wound and serious throughout, his performance comes off as almost comedy in some scenes. However, his prickly demeanor becomes striking in recognizing how little compassion he actually has for others in his world.
Driver slips into the slithery skin of Le Gris and handles all the nastiness and nuance required to make him friend then foe, as the movie works through to the final battle. Affleck is having the time of his life, goofy as ever, while Comer takes command of the film’s final third and provides much-needed nuance and depth to her character’s emotional balance and uncertainty with everything happening around her.
The film, when not dense with dialogue, is a blood-soaked brawl with violence inflicted on animals and humans alike. Scott lets the blood flow, but also creates a landscape where these men speak through their one upmanship and violent behavior.
In contrast, women are expected to be demure, subservient, and not create problems. Thus, when Marguerite steps forward with her allegations, she risks her life if her husband’s demand for “Trial By Combat” fails. Complicating matters, Le Gris denies the charges and claims innocence, intimating to the Count that though she put up a fight, he has done nothing wrong. The Count advises him to deny everything.
Dariusz Wolski’s cinematography is stunning in key scenes, seamlessly integrating visual effects with location shots in and around breathtaking vistas found in France and Ireland. While the costumes are largely as would be expected in a period piece like this, there is a nice mix of colors infused among the different chapters which accentuate much of the grayed-out, cold-to-the-touch look and feel of the film.
Scott’s film may need some tightening and definitely needs to bring a terrific Comer into the mix much sooner. However, The Last Duel does largely create a compelling, thoughtful space to contemplate its ambitious thoughts on the #MeToo movement, rape culture, masculinity and power. The conversations the film introduces are important ones and, despite some stumbles, this remains one of the more interesting films of the year.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck, Harriet Walter, Nathaniel Parker, Alex Lawther, Marton Csokas, Sam Hazeldine, Michael McElhatton, Tallulah Haddon, Oliver Cotton, Adam Nagaitis, Zeljko Ivanek, Serena Kennedy.
Director: Ridley Scott
Written by: Nicole Holofcener, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck
Based on the book, “The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France” by Eric Jager
Release Date: October 15, 2021
20th Century Studios/Walt Disney Pictures