Movie Review - The Last Duel

Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Drama/ Action
Runtime: 153 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck, Marton Csokas

I WATCHED THIS FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 50: A MOVIE SET IN A EUROPEAN COUNTRY
 
Description: King Charles VI declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) settle his dispute with his squire (Adam Driver) by challenging him to a duel.

Review: Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris are two friendly squires who go to war together for the king of France in the fourteenth century. De Carrouges is a somewhat gruff, antipathetic fellow who is at odds with everyone, while Le Gris is a charming man who gradually works his way up to become the confidant of the local count Piere d’Aleçon. And then Marguerite, the Carrouges’ beautiful wife, accuses Le Gris of rape.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon join forces again and wrote this script. Ridley Scott directs and the cast is completed with Adam Driver and Jodie Comer. The script is ingeniously put together. The film consists of three chapters, each of which sheds a different light on the case. The chapters show the whole case each time through the eyes of one of the protagonists: the Carrouges, Le Gris and Marguerite. Small details show us how the characters view the case, but in the end the truth comes out.
Ridley Scott is a master at creating atmosphere. As a result, the Middle Ages thought his eyes look almost as beautiful as they are brutal. The battles, the everyday worries, everything is cleverly rendered with a great eye for detail. And to top is all off, we get a brilliantly portrayed duel between the two formal friends.
Matt Damon is perfectly cast as the gruff Carrouges, while Driver seems the ideal Le gris. They are ably supported by a ravishing Jodie Comer, who I think is the true star of the film. Ben Affleck, not always strong as an actor, is the only downside when it comes to the performers. He comes off a bit cartoonish at times.
The contemporary theme is subtly addressed with, at the end, even the question of whether the punishment exceeds the crime and a stunning image of the peasant women who seem to silently encourage Marguerite. In short, a powerful epic with heroic battles and a particularly beautiful moral that manages to justify its long runtime.

Rating: 4/ 5