“The Last Duel” Film Review

By Quinn Marcus

If there’s any director that I absolutely need to see more of, it’s Ridley Scott, I’m completely in awe by the fact that at age 83, he’s still making badass movies like The Last Duel, what a legend. I went into this movie almost completely blind, I’d only heard about the film a few days before seeing it, it surprisingly flew completely off of my radar, but I’m glad I managed to find it, because holy crap, this was an epic experience. I was introduced to Scott with The Martian and Gladiator, both of which I think are absolutely amazing films, and yes, unpopular opinion here, much better than the original Blade Runner, a film I believe is just fine. Those are the only ones I’ve seen of his, so sorry if I can’t make too many comparisons to his other filmography, don’t worry, I’ll watch his other work as soon as I can. Anyway, back to the film, there’s so much to talk about here, and quite a bit I’d like to analyze as well, so yeah, please enjoy, I guess (god, my openers are getting sloppy).

In a time when women were considered property, men fought for their name and pride, and God served as the final judgment, what chance is there for justice in a situation like this? Answering with an uncertain maybe, The Last Duel makes the point that one battle won won’t give you the war against misogyny, a relevant, and painful thought that sticks with you long after the credits close. We’ve come far since this time, but not nearly far enough, and The Last Duel doesn’t pull any punches in showing us that. Told smartly from three different perspectives, and for the most part, shrouded in a thin, but relatively clear blanket of mystery, The Last Duel shows hints of the film’s brutal finale early on, but patiently waits until the third chapter, told from the perspective of the victim, to really hit you in the gut, depicting the horror this woman experienced, and being a true story, it just makes it ever more hard-to-watch. Occasionally, the film’s structure does lead to some issues of its own, there is a lack of surprise, changes made between each act are too subtle to mask a tiny sense of repetition and blockiness, but the craft put into The Last Duel is something to behold.

It’s bold, ambitious, and overwhelmingly gorgeous, the cinematography, set design, and costumes alone are Oscar-worthy. Yes, while perhaps a tad flawed structurally, The Last Duel is a beautifully shot filmmaking achievement that’s emotionally impactful, and despite not being extremely shocking, get’s its point across flawlessly, all while being a technical marvel. Jodie Comer, who was also in Free Guy earlier this year gets her chance to truly shine, especially towards the end of the film, making her mark amongst a group of equally terrific actors including Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Ben Affleck, just a tremendously stacked cast. Everyone has their moment of greatness, it takes gut’s to play some of these characters, many of which are evil human beings, but they pulled it off. The soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams fits the Medieval setting and served as just another notch in the film’s belt of qualities. Now, in regards to THE duel scene, well, let’s just say, I don’t think there’s another director who does this stuff better than Ridley Scott, seriously, this fight was breathtaking. It’s probably the tensest battle I’ve ever witnessed, similar to Gladiator, it’s violent, gritty, bloody, and is done so well, the shifts of who has the upper hand are handled perfectly, and the performers were just as committed as those behind the camera.

It all culminates into an explosive finale that satisfied me entirely, closing off a unique, remarkable cinematic experience. Reviewing this late did give me the chance to see its opening numbers in the Box Office, and if you’re into that sort of thing, you’ll know that it flopped, big time. It’s been overshadowed by blockbusters such as Venom: Let There Be Carnage, No Time to Die, and most recently, Halloween Kills, and I doubt it’s going to do much better with Dune coming out this weekend, but it deserves more recognition for the amount of talent and commitment presented on screen. I won’t deny that, in the end, The Last Duel is an extremely difficult film to watch, I mean, seriously, you really need to be feeling up to watch this one, but if you are, I’d support it, one of the best of the year, and another triumph amongst Ridley Scott’s filmography, and maybe even the movie industry as a whole.