Genre: Drama, Historical, Epic Directed by: Ridley Scott Written by: Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon Based on The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager Starring: Matt Damon, Adam Drive, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck Critical Reception: RottenTomatoes - 85% from Critics, 81% from Audiences || IMDB Average 7.7 out of 10 || Letterboxd Average 3.8 out of 5
The Movie Summed Up in a Tweet
"Though there were some issues preventing it from being a truly great film, #TheLastDuel should be commended for its bold approach to storytelling & through its vision & voice that helps it stand out from most historical epics."
Thoughts on the Movie?
The Last Duel is the retelling of the last legally sanctioned duel in France's history centered around a rape accusation involving Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) and Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer). Adding to the complexity of the tale, is Marguerite's husband, Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), whose infamously tumultuous relationship with Le Gris and his lord, Count Pierre d'Alençon (Ben Affleck) further threaten to discredit the accusation.
It's brilliant narrative conceit that helps shake-up a largely by-the-numbers story arc. The outcome of the duel, and by proxy the fate of Marguerite, is the driving force of the drama and The Last Duel is able to milk that carefully maintained tension up until the final moments of the film. Sadly, every other narrative turn lacks the surprise and tension. Once The Last Duel's "trick" is revealed at the beginning of the second chapter, the rest of the narrative begin to fall into a pattern of predictable reveals. From a certain point in that second act, the audience is already several steps ahead of the storytelling, which will be frustrating to many viewers who have already grown tired of the intentionally repetitive structure of The Last Duel's narrative.
Something hinted heavily at in the trailers and marketing for The Last Duel, was its feminist lens analyzing gender inequality and the lack of agency of women in medieval France. This proves to be a shrewd decision, as it helps give the movie its own identity, instantly allowing it to stand apart from any of the other historical war epics. Though many might balk at my usage of the word feminist, know that the script and direction handles many of the trickier scenes and ideas with a careful sensitivity.
There are a few clunky moments where The Last Duel's modern sensibilities becomes a little too apparent, feeling almost as if the film is breaking the fourth wall while educating the audience on just how miserably women had it during the medieval era. One notable example sees a secondary character abruptly stop their line of discussion to hammer in just how unreasonable a certain law was. In fairness, the law in question (along with many of these other fourth-wall breaks) is horrible and unjust - rightfully deserving to be brought up as it all helps to elaborate upon the The Last Duel's central theme. The manner in which these educational moments are worked into the script simply feel awkwardly shoved into the script, breaking up the mostly naturalistic flow of dialogue on display in the majority of the film.
Not everything is fully authentic - in fact, there was one actor who felt so woefully miscast and out of place with the film around him, that he broke immersion anytime he popped up. While Matt Damon's, Jean de Carrouges, has some occasionally spotty deliveries, in addition to his performance feeling more lofty than it should for Carrouges' brutish ne'er-do-well - it's a performance that's mostly successful.
Ben Affleck, on the other hand, never once felt like he belonged within the same film unfolding around him. Affleck feels so sorely miscast here, taking the character of Count Pierre d'Alençon, and plays him in full scene-chewing splendor. It's immediately clear that he was trying to make some bold choices while having fun with the character, and though I might understand the possible intention, it remains a performance that completely misses the mark in tone. There are so many elements of The Last Duel that should be commended for their grace and subtle handling of a tricky subject matter - Affleck's performance is absolutely not one of them. He decides to play d'Alençon as if he were the medieval Harvey Weinstein, but through an off-putting manic and turned-up performance. Not helping the matter is his comically bad accent the mashes up a never-quite-there British accent with something similar to his mush-mouthed delivery as Batman. It's a bizarre performance that honestly doesn't belong in The Last Duel.
Luckily the other two actors rounding out the cast offer much more to The Last Duel. I am referencing Adam Driver and Jodie Comer, of course, the two heavy hitters in this film. Adam Driver is given the daunting and thankless task of playing Jacques Le Gris, but he's able to do a lot with the role. Whereas Affleck played d'Alençon broad and almost caricature-like, Driver's performance embodies subtlety and nuance. Make no mistake, both d'Alençon and Le Gris are villainous characters who do monstrous things, but Driver wisely opts for something more understated, adding further complexity to the contemptible Le Gris.
Though there were some issues preventing it from being a truly great film, The Last Duel should be commended for its bold approach to storytelling & through its vision & voice that helps it stand out from most historical epics. Ben Affleck's woefully confused performance is the film's greatest crime, but even with that, The Last Duel is absolutely worth the watch. The build-up to its visceral climactic duel is tense and its storytelling clever enough to warrant a watch for even the most skeptical of audiences.
Standout Scene
The Last Duel spends the majority of its runtime ramping up the dramatic stakes leading up to the titular duel. Luckily, Ridley Scott masterfully uses the duel as a cathartic release for all of the truths and false-truths the audience has been witness to for the first two hours. It helps that Scott also knows how to shoot competent, effective action scenes - especially action beats centered around historical epics with previous work on Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood and the admittedly regrettable Exodus: Gods and Kings. He imbues the final duel with quick artistic flourishes, often finding interesting angles to shoot exciting snippets of action, while never becoming lost in the spectacle of the fight.
Standout Performance
Though Adam Driver gives a compelling and nuanced performance, there is simply no question that the standout performance in The Last Duel belongs to Jodie Comer. She completely owns this movie from the very moment she appears on screen. Not only is her acting naturalistic, giving her character a sense of authenticity sorely missing from her male co-leads, but she's also asked to do more than any other actor in the film. Much of what works about the character of Lady Marguerite de Carrouges is Comer's refined and carefully delivered performance. Often the emotional throughline and drama inherent to any particular scene is elevated by her performance - consisting mostly of subtle looks and glances. It's a conscientious and skillfully executed performance that, in addition to her recent turn in Free Guy, is sure to draw the attention of Hollywood filmmakers and audiences alike.
Standout Quote
Nicole de Buchard: "The truth does not matter. There is only the power of men."
Pairs Well With...
Good Will Hunting [1997]
Gladiator [2000]
The Little Hours [2017]
Outlaw King [2018]
Film-FTW Rating || 7 Stars - “Very Good / Compelling”
More from the Author
Thank you so much for reading to the very end of this review - I sincerely thank you for taking your time! If you have any thoughts or comments, please feel free to share them in a respectful manner down below. Consider checking out and following the author on Twitter or Letterboxd.