The Last Duel (2021)
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The Last Duel Movie Review
The Last Duel is a 2021 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Jodie Comer, Adam Driver and Matt Damon. It is a truly phenomenal period drama.
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“The truth does not matter,
there is only the power of men“
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A knight challenges his friend, squire Jacques Le Gris to a judicial duel after Jean’s wife, Marguerite accuses Jacques of raping her. The fact that this story actually happened made the film even more powerful. Ridley Scott depicted so faithfully this event while imbuing it with so many raw cinematic qualities that he should be congratulated for his amazing prowess at storytelling and strong craftsmanship. The injustice of his underrated status as a director continues to baffle me.
Whenever I watch a certain movie that provokes deep conversations and discussions between others, that is the sign of a true masterpiece. The Last Duel is so impeccably written that it’s open to interpretation and it may even be ambiguous in its ending despite seemingly being a shut and done case. But the highest praise must go toward the subtlety of the script, the nuances of the acting performances and the strength of the dialogue and its authenticity of period details.
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This just might be the best Matt Damon role so far. Yes, he was that amazing. Jean de Carrouges is an instantly iconic character and the way he was depicted here is faithful to the real historical figure – brash, temperamental and insecure. Damon entirely disappeared into the role – not just physically, but also through his careful pronunciation and very realistic demeanor for the period. This man was wronged on some accounts, but the fact that he only cares for the honor of his name made him very unlikable, though he could show signs of love and care to his wife occasionally.
Jacques Le Gris is also very well written. Adam Driver is excellent in the role as he always is. This man is arrogant, overly confident and simply a sociopath who only thinks of himself and bases reality on his own account of events, which made his section particularly interesting to follow. As for Ben Affleck as Count Pierre, I actually really liked his self-parodying performance and this man was quite funny, but the movie was overly focused on this side character and the humor surrounding him, making this section rather tonally uneven.
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The person who steals the movie is actually Jodie Comer. She should become an instant star following this release as her work here is absolutely incredible. A lot of her performance should obviously be pinned on Scott’s excellent directing, but still she delivered in spades, depicting Marguerite’s conflicted emotions especially well. She isn’t a particularly wordy woman, but just by looking at her face you can deduce a lot, which is a sign of a powerhouse performance.
The film was split into three parts in this very obvious homage to ‘Rashomon’ and its famous structure. I loved this approach as it led to better understanding of each character and his or her perspectives. By looking at certain scenes from different points of view twice, you can understand better what really went on. However, a couple of scenes, especially the rape, were needlessly wholly repeated and overall the film’s pacing wasn’t the best, but it mostly remained a riveting watch nonetheless.
Thematically speaking, this is a dense product. While probably it would have benefited more from more ambiguity, Scott still chose to make the story of Marguerite the true one. Not only is this story positioned as the last one, but also the real one. This choice along with the subtle acting from Comer made the film very feminist.
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Whenever somebody would ask me in the future why I hate the Medieval Period, I will now pinpoint to this movie as it perfectly showcases everything that was wrong with this time period – the men foolishly died in countless wars, they focused on their own name and pride without ever thinking of others while the women stayed at home, having basically no rights whatsoever. Couple that with a truly horrible showcase of the scientific ignorance of the church and the doctors and you’ve got an uncomfortable message movie about the dangers of machismo.
The imagery of these two men fighting like animals for the woman’s cause made The Last Duel truly an infuriating watch, but an essential one nonetheless. Being positioned more as a historical drama than an epic action flick made it different from other films set in the past. Scott even opted to brutally showcase the stupidity of these battles and the men battling them instead of honoring them, which was a fantastic storytelling choice. The film is immensely realistic in how it was shot with the battles and the final duel seeming maybe too real and gruesome while the lack of score made the drama more emotional. The production design and the attention to detail are also staggering.
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