Review of The Duellists (1977) by Alex R — 24 Jan 2013

Ridley Scott's The Duellists is an impressive period piece and a stunning first full length feature of a director who would carve himself a unique style and become one of the best directors in cinema.

The film shows the early stages of what would make Ridley Scott a stunning director. The Duellists is a compelling picture that mixes drama and action in the Napoleonic era. The cast do a fine in their performances and Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel are wonderful to watch on-screen.

I really love period dramas as they reflect the most interesting aspects of history. The film looks great, is well acted and the plot is sure to appeal to cinema buffs that enjoy history based movies.

The look of the film was heavily influenced by Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, and the result is a movie that looks absolutely wonderful. The sets and costumes are authentic to the time period and the result is a film that definitely belongs on the list of the best looking and best told historical dramas.

Ridley Scott's direction is wonderful as well, and the film has effective pacing that you involved in the action and drama and above all, the well layered story. If you enjoy Ridley Scott's body of work, give his debut a look, it is well worth watching due to its cast, story and look.

The film's obvious strong points are the sword fights, which make up the core of the story. This is a highly engaging film that is among the very best of period pieces. The Duellists is only rivaled by Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, also worth seeing.

Both are fine pieces of cinema, but this one has a bit more action, which may appeal more viewers that enjoy a better paced movie rather than a massive epic.