They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. At 84, Sir Ridley Scott's output remains as prolific as ever, dwarfing directors many decades his juniors, and, you could argue, this has come at the cost of creating anything truly original. The man who once had « the best eye in the business » spent most of the late oughts and 2010s churning out films that were mostly visually anonymous, and revisiting past glories with mixed results. Ad to that a decidedly unremarkable promotional campaign and fiery online debate, and you'd forgive me and countless others for giving The Last Duel a pass.
No, this is not Rashomon in the Dark Ages. Wronged hero Jean de Carouges (Damon sporting the most epic mullet of the 21st century) sees his every noble effort at advancement thwarted by false friend Robert Le Gris (Driver) and their liege lord (Affleck), something he takes in his stride until Le Gris rapes his bride, the Lady Marguerite (Comer), who navigates this brutal time as best she can. But that's only one side of the story, and a very misleading one at that. Unlike in Rashomon, we do get the objective truth, but before we do we get to marvel at how each of the men - both Marguerite's tormentors in different ways - see themselves and their actions. Scott presents us with an - at first glance - by the numbers historical romp - before peeling layer after layer off and leaving us with something much more bitter, angry and interesting - not to mention entertaining. Despite what the trailer would have you believe, save for a few short flashes of brutality and a bruising final duel, this is not an action film. It is a character piece. It is also, against all odds, a damned good one.
As if it weren't bad enough that the ad boys botched their job selling the film, a torrent of online stupidity engulfed it shortly after. To some, this as a tone-def male-championing usurpation of a woman's suffering. To others, it was a revisionist, uber-woke pamphlet. It's hard to believe protestors on either side have even seen the film. Few have, judging by the depressing box office numbers.
By some strange miracle, The Last Duel is not only an expertly crafted film on every technical level - regular Scott collaborators Darius Wolsky and Arthur Max are back with their lights and set design respectively - but the script, for once, more than lives up to the rest of the work put in. Damon, Affleck and - crucially - Holofcener, split up writing duties, with the latter consolidating the whole, and the result the best screenplay Scott has had to work with since Matchstick Men. This - and the requirements of the particular mechanics of the story - in turn leads to magnificent work from the cast. Comer seems to have justly gotten the lion's share of the attention, but her male counterpoints turn in some of their best work in years, particularly the ubiquitous Driver. Well into his ninth decade - and his fifth as a filmmaker - Ridley Scott has finally switched off the auto-pilot and delivered his best film since the extended version of Kingdom of Heaven.
In this age of franchises, belated sequels and reboots, The Last Duel is exactly the kind of film people often bemoan the absence of. What a shame that it struggled so much to find an audience. Hopefully it will soon be seen for the undisputed triumph that it is.
No, this is not Rashomon in the Dark Ages. Wronged hero Jean de Carouges (Damon sporting the most epic mullet of the 21st century) sees his every noble effort at advancement thwarted by false friend Robert Le Gris (Driver) and their liege lord (Affleck), something he takes in his stride until Le Gris rapes his bride, the Lady Marguerite (Comer), who navigates this brutal time as best she can. But that's only one side of the story, and a very misleading one at that. Unlike in Rashomon, we do get the objective truth, but before we do we get to marvel at how each of the men - both Marguerite's tormentors in different ways - see themselves and their actions. Scott presents us with an - at first glance - by the numbers historical romp - before peeling layer after layer off and leaving us with something much more bitter, angry and interesting - not to mention entertaining. Despite what the trailer would have you believe, save for a few short flashes of brutality and a bruising final duel, this is not an action film. It is a character piece. It is also, against all odds, a damned good one.
As if it weren't bad enough that the ad boys botched their job selling the film, a torrent of online stupidity engulfed it shortly after. To some, this as a tone-def male-championing usurpation of a woman's suffering. To others, it was a revisionist, uber-woke pamphlet. It's hard to believe protestors on either side have even seen the film. Few have, judging by the depressing box office numbers.
By some strange miracle, The Last Duel is not only an expertly crafted film on every technical level - regular Scott collaborators Darius Wolsky and Arthur Max are back with their lights and set design respectively - but the script, for once, more than lives up to the rest of the work put in. Damon, Affleck and - crucially - Holofcener, split up writing duties, with the latter consolidating the whole, and the result the best screenplay Scott has had to work with since Matchstick Men. This - and the requirements of the particular mechanics of the story - in turn leads to magnificent work from the cast. Comer seems to have justly gotten the lion's share of the attention, but her male counterpoints turn in some of their best work in years, particularly the ubiquitous Driver. Well into his ninth decade - and his fifth as a filmmaker - Ridley Scott has finally switched off the auto-pilot and delivered his best film since the extended version of Kingdom of Heaven.
In this age of franchises, belated sequels and reboots, The Last Duel is exactly the kind of film people often bemoan the absence of. What a shame that it struggled so much to find an audience. Hopefully it will soon be seen for the undisputed triumph that it is.