The Last Duel (2021)
3.5/4
One of my favourite movie genres is historical dramas. I love learning about forgotten pieces of history, such as William Wallace’s fight for freedom in Mel Gibson’s Oscar-wining drama Braveheart or the story of T.E. Lawrence’s experiences during the First World War in David Lean’s classic film Lawrence of Arabia.
I’m also a huge fan of Ridley Scott’s previous adventure into medieval times with his 2000 film Gladiator, so you can imagine my interest in his newest film The Last Duel. I was very excited to see what Scott and crew would do with the story of the famous duel between knights Jean de Carrouges and his former friend Jacques Le Gris, and I am happy to report that the results are highly satisfying.
Just to give some background, the story of the last duel, which is set in the 1300s, centres around three people: knights Carrouges and Le Gris, and Carrouges’ wife Marguerite. When Carrouges was away campaigning in Scotland, Le Gris forcefully came into Carrouges’ family home when the maidens were all out, chased Marguerite up to her room, and sexually assaulted her.
When a furious Carrouges learns of this and his wife bravely comes forward, he challenges Le Gris to trial by combat. This is noteworthy because this was the last legally sanctioned duel in France’s history, which, in my opinion, is a perfect setting for a movie on this scale.
What I liked about this film is how it honours the history behind the duel. The movie is split up in three parts, representing each of these three characters’ perspectives. This works very well and kept me fully engaged in what was going on throughout the entire film.
I also deeply enjoyed the acting in this film. Jodie Comer is fantastic and I think she expertly portrayed the character’s braveness and strength to absolute perfection. Matt Damon and Adam Driver also turn in stellar performances as the duelling knights. Scot’s direction is pitch perfect in the film as well.
Another thing that was done quite well was the production values of the film. The art direction and the costume design do a terrific job of immersing the viewer in the 1300s, and Dariusz Wolski’s cinematography provides some truly beautiful shots that also capture the period perfectly.
The only thing that I disliked about this film is its pace. Telling the story through the three perspectives worked for me, but it may make the film seem slow for some viewers. Also, I think that if they had cut the film down by 15 minutes, it might have made a little bit more of a impact with all audiences.
Still, despite being a tad overlong, The Last Duel is a heck of a good film, and it will be an absorbing good time at the movies for history buffs.