Review of Anton Chekhov's The Duel (2010) by Ray H — 24 Feb 2014
This is a very good looking movie. The cinematography is beautiful. The colours and lighting are excellent.
The story is a simple one. The lead character, Lavesky (Andrew Scott), is wholly despicable and someone we don't want to spend time with. He is a ne'er-do-well. He spends his time lying about in the summer heat. He does this, when he is not occupied by drinking or playing cards. He apparently, is employed as a Russian civil servant. But, we rarely see him doing anything that looks like work.
He is living with another man's wife. He has grown tired of her. He spends his time scheming about how to get rid of her. His girlfriend is Nadya (Fiona Glascott). Lucky for the viewer, Ms Glascott is an unusually beautiful woman. He plays her understated role in a very effective manner.
The other principal character of note is Von Koren (Tobias Menzies). He observes the activities of the dissolute Lavesky with increasing anger. And here we find the source of the Duel of the title.
Although the characters were somewhat interesting; there just was not enough to the story to fully engage me. I would not recommend this movie.
But, it does look very good. That was not enough for me.
This review of Anton Chekhov's The Duel (2010) was written by Ray H on 24 Feb 2014.
Anton Chekhov's The Duel has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
