Review of The Last Duel (2021) by Rebecca31 — 03 Dec 2021

The Last Duel is based on real life events that took place around the time of France’s last sanctioned trial by combat. A duel between bitter rivals Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver). Marguerite (Jodie Comer) is savagely attacked by Le Gris and despite the huge risk she takes by speaking out she refuses to stay silent. Bravely stepping forward to accuse her attacker. Le Gris of course denies the charges and the battle to the death must take place putting the fate of those involved into the hands of God.

With an expensive production budget that clearly shows, the audience is immediately immersed into 14th century France. It’s a compelling story and hugely tense as the movie builds to its inevitable climax. My main issue with The Last Duel is the three separate narratives and the need for them. Due to this you’re seeing many of the same scenes again from a different perspective and I don’t think the audience needed to see a brutal rape scene twice. Jodie Comer gives an absolutely brilliant performance and I feel telling the story from her point of view alone would have had more of an effect. She really is the strongest thing about this movie and with an impressive supporting cast all bringing their A game, particularly Adam Driver, who let’s face it is great in everything. It’s an impressive movie but not quite Gladiator standard.

As for Ridley Scott’s comments about The Last Duel performing so poorly at the box office due to “those damn millennials and their cellphones” it’s coming across very Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. Maybe Ridley, before immediately blaming the young people addicted to their phones, you might want to have look at how many cinemas even bothered showing The Last Duel at all, along with the number of showings per day and how long it ran for before it was gone. Honestly if you’re hoping a medieval movie that was barely advertised is going to be able to compete against No Time to Die and Dune then I don’t know what to tell you. What did you expect would happen? Anyway I’m not going to let the words of a grumpy old man get to me, the sooner these clickbait articles about the latest director’s criticisms of superhero movies/millennials etc. are gone the better.

I don’t need to give a recommendation for you all to see The Last Duel in the cinema, partly because this review is quite late and those who wanted to see this on the big screen already have. For the rest of you, The Last Duel is recommended as “only going to watch this once kinda movies.