The Last Duel ⚔️

Of Beauty & Brutality...

Oct 14, 2021

Welcome to Pop ‘n’ Pizza, a weekly newsletter highlighting what’s new in pop culture and pulp fiction. This week, I’m talking about Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL. 🍕🥤

The Last Duel

Genre: Historical Drama
Release Date: October 15, 2021
Running Time: 152 Minutes
Rated: R

Behind the Scenes

Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski
Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
Studio: 20th Century Studios

In Front of the Camera

Matt Damon (STILLWATER, THE MARTIAN)
Adam Driver (MARRIAGE STORY, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS)
Jodie Comer (FREE GUY, STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER)
Ben Affleck (GONE GIRL, ARGO)

What’s It About?

“In 1386, Marguerite de Carrouges claims she has been raped by her husband’s best friend. Her husband, knight Jean de Carrouges, challenges his friend and squire Jacques Le Gris to trial by combat. It is the last legally sanctioned duel in France’s history.” — 20th Century Studios

Why You Should Check It Out

1977’s THE DUELLISTS marked Ridley Scott’s first feature film as director. Based on Joseph Conrad’s short story “The Duel” and set during the Napoleonic Wars, it follows two French officers, D’Hubert and Feraud (Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel), whose quarrel over a minor incident turns into a rivalry spanning fifteen years. The historical drama was nominated for the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival and won an award for Best Debut Film. It also gained the attention of Brandywine Productions’ David Giler, Walter Hill, and Gordon Carroll, who sought out Scott to direct ALIEN (1979) for 20th Century Fox. The rest is history — no pun intended.

Now, the 83-year-old filmmaker is returning to France for THE LAST DUEL. Based on actual events (and the book THE LAST DUEL: A TRUE STORY OF TRIAL BY COMBAT IN MEDIEVAL FRANCE by Eric Jager), the film follows two French knights, Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), whose friendship turns into a bitter feud after Jean’s wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer), claims she has been viciously assaulted by Le Gris, who denies the charge. The only way forward is a trial by combat — a duel to the death — where the fate of the three will be placed in God’s hands.

Told from three distinct perspectives, THE LAST DUEL is Ridley Scott’s RASHOMON, with a dash of the director’s previous work (GLADIATOR and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN) for good measure. Damon, Driver, and Comer deliver stellar performances that shift subtly as the story switches perspectives. Even Ben Affleck, who isn’t all that exciting to me, is palatable here, chewing the scenery with relish as the pompous Count Pierre d’Alençon.

Frequent Scott collaborators Arthur Max (production designer), Janty Yates (costume designer), and Dariusz Wolski (director of photography) bring medieval France to life in all of its beauty and brutality with handsome craftsmanship and stirring cinematography. One thing is always certain with a Ridley Scott movie — the script could be garbage, the performances could be mediocre, but the craft of it is always going to be of the highest quality.

Look, THE LAST DUEL isn’t the kind of movie one can enjoy. It’s a 152-minute historical drama about rape during the Middle Ages. It isn’t a popcorn flick. There are some thrilling set-pieces and sword fights, but Scott’s film doesn’t exist to entertain; it’s to appreciate… and consider how appalling it is that a movie about women’s rights set in 1386 C.E. is just as relevant today as it was 635 years ago.

THE LAST DUEL begins playing in theaters tonight. Check out Fandango for tickets and showtimes near you. If you’re waiting for a digital release, the movie will play exclusively in theaters for 45 days before heading to digital platforms.

Slices:

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