There isn’t a filmmaker working today who is quite as successful at making grandiose historical epics as Ridley Scott, whose ability to capture massive scale and bring to life unforeseen eras is virtually unparalleled. While Scott’s work on modern classics such as Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, and Kingdom of Heaven were hailed as significant achievements, not all of his more recent films have earned the same praise; despite their impressive scale and visuals, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Robin Hood, House of Gucci, and Napoleon triggered more mixed responses. Although some fans may have feared that he was losing his edge, The Last Duel was a creative, engaging reconstruction of one of the most significant events in medieval history, and featured some of the strongest performances in any of Scott’s films.
What Is ‘The Last Duel’ About?
Set in the aftermath of the Caroline War, The Last Duel examines the last trial-by-combat in medieval France, which was waged between the former allies Sir Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques le Gris (Adam Driver). Although they had fought together and sworn allegiance to the haughty Count Pierre d’Alençon (Ben Affleck), the relationship between the two men begins to break down when they have a dispute over their battlefield heroics. An encounter with Jean’s wife, Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer), leads Jacques to believe that she secretly lusts for him, which results in a graphic sexual assault. Although Jean is shocked to hear his wife’s story, he finds himself unable to achieve justice in their local government due to the Count’s long-standing hatred for him. Jean’s only other option is to petition King Charles VI (Alex Lawther), who would allow him to fight Jacques to the death to determine the accuracy of Marguerite’s claim.
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The most inventive component of The Last Duel is its structure, as Scott divided the film into three distinct acts, each of which is told from the perspective of one of the main characters. While this could have easily resulted in the same information being needlessly reiterated, the subtle shifts in editing show how each conversation is interpreted by the characters, and how closeted motivations impacted the way that the duel emerges. Although Jean sees himself as a noble hero who was unfairly robbed of being lauded, Jacques’ section reveals him to be cowardly and belligerent. However, Jacques’ section also shows that he is himself a duplicitous liar who is willing to sell his integrity out to win the favor of the Count. The section centered on Marguerite, which is rightfully named “the truth,” offers a harrowing examination of the emotional effects of sexual assault. While there may have been a concern about this sensitive topic being told by a male filmmaker, The Last Duel’s screenplay is partially credited to Nicole Holofcener, who allowed Comer to take ownership of her character.
‘The Last Duel’ Examines the Authorship of History
The Last Duel is both an exciting thriller and a consideration of what justice really means; although Jean is motivated to seek revenge for his wife’s trauma, it’s also evident that he seeks a public venue to torture and humiliate the man he felt has betrayed him. The film calls out how ridiculous this type of trial is, as a defeat on Jean’s part could also end up forcing Marguerite to face consequences. Although some laws are set in stone, the shifting politics of the era are impacted by whoever is directly in charge; the duel and trial could have had a very different outcome had the Count or King favored someone else.
The performances in The Last Duel are uniformly excellent; Damon plays an egocentric, yet loyal veteran whose progressiveness is ambiguous as his honor, and Driver is able to capture the essence of a toxic abuser, who possesses none of the same inherent tragedy that Kylo Ren did in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. However, it is Comer’s performance as the soft-spoken, yet iron-willed woman at the heart of a major world event that is most impressive. While Scott has done many impressive things in his historical epic, putting a woman at the center is one of his most successful.
The Last Duel is now available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
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