The Last Duel Review: Nobody Brings the Epic like Scott

Nick Clement brings us his The Last Duel review as Ridley Scott once again shows us all why he’s the master of the cinematic masterpiece.

Jean de Carrouges is a respected knight known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield. Jacques Le Gris is a squire whose intelligence and eloquence makes him one of the most admired nobles in court.

When Le Gris viciously assaults Carrouges’ wife, she steps forward to accuse her attacker, an act of bravery and defiance that puts her life in jeopardy. The ensuing trial by combat, a grueling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God’s hands.

At 84 years of age, Ridley Scott slapped the taste out of his competitor’s mouths with the climactic fight sequence in The Last Duel.

Now THAT is how you do a fight to the death and how you show medieval carnage on the battlefield. The shattering sound effects were absolutely amazing and credit must be given to the all-in Matt Damon and Adam Driver (and their stunt doubles – jousting POWER) for selling every single visceral moment.

The preceding two hours and 15 minutes are solid stuff, a tad dreary at times, but always engaging, with the tri-fractured story structure recalling the great Rashomon, and telling the scandalous tale of a rape through three points of view, where only one final outcome is a possibility – death.

Everything about The Last Duel feels authentic, from the chilly skies to the damp mud to the heavy-looking, clanging armor, and where the hell does Scott and his production team keep finding all of these still-standing castles for his period films?

Without question or debate, on a cinematography, production design, and costume level, NOBODY brings the epic like Scott; nobody else understands world building the way he does.

There’s stuff to look at in every shot that either fills out the atmospheric frame, or provides subtle (or not so subtle) story beats.

I’m also glad to see he’s still obsessed with having little airborne particles and snowflakes dotting the image with extra texture; this milieu is in his bones and blood as a filmmaker, and it’s where he clearly feels the most comfortable.

Ben Affleck is hilariously miscast but he’s still quite fun to watch, and it’s abundantly clear why Scott has become so smitten by Jodie Comer – the camera adores her and she’s got the interior dramatic fire to light up any scene.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get my juices flowing again, and watch those final 10 minutes.

Available on Blu-ray/DVD and via various digital streaming providers.

The Last Duel review by Nick Clement