Review of The Last Duel (2021) by Jluis_001 — 18 Oct 2021

The Last Duel has the pedigree that characterizes Ridley Scott's best epics, but for some reason it feels like an attempt to replicate himself and it just doesn't quite work for him.

Let's just say this film is a more closer relative to Robin Hood than to Kingdom of Heaven.

Some comparisons that have been made have branded it as a kind of medieval soap opera, and I admit that there are some points in it to validate that argument, but at least Scott is a director who has too much experience to make it so easy.

The Last Duel is a film for adults. Even with all its flaws, but it's for that very reason that it will hardly appeal to audiences looking for a more basic entertainment.

And it's not that I want to minimize other people's tastes but a period film, with performances that border on the operatic, with a gray and cold staging that does not really involve much action and lasts two and a half hours, will hardly be attractive for the masses.

I recommend it because I didn't think it was a bad film, but I also have to admit that it added absolutely nothing to Scott's résumé, and it doesn't have to. My point is that there are better options in his filmography.

Yet, there's nothing better but to forge your own judgment.