The Last Duel Review
Reviewed by McNeill Mullikin
The Last Duel surprised me by how outstanding of a movie it is. There is so much to unpack with this film, because it tackles many important themes that are still relevant in today’s society. With that said, The Last Duel is an incredibly original film, and I truly cannot think of many movies besides Rashomon that tell the same story multiple times from different perspectives (which is an extremely daunting task). On top of that, it manages to become more interesting with each version of the story. Writers Nicole Holofcener, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck deserve serious props for delicately crafting this story for the big screen.
From a technical standpoint The Last Duel is a true masterpiece and the production on all levels is amazing. The replication of the medieval setting through the production design, costume design, and lighting is phenomenal, and the cinematography is stunning. One of the best qualities of The Last Duel is Harry Greyson-Williams’s phenomenal score, and I think it is one of the best, if not the best, of the year. Lastly, the action in this film is shot and choreographed well and is tense and brutal in the finale.
Every performance in this film is fantastic. Adam Driver and Ben Affleck do a great job with playing completely detestable people in this film, Matt Damon does an incredible job with portraying a character depicted in two drastically different perspectives, and Jodie Comer delivers an amazing performance as a very brave and conflicted character. Plus, I cannot not mention Ridley Scott, the director at the helm of this film, as I believe this is some of his best work of all time.
Now, as audience members, we know which version of the story is the truth; but, what I find so interesting about The Last Duel is how it showcases the inhuman behaviors of which the human mind is capable. This movie highlights that people mentally rewrite their own history and begin to believe their own lies and construct false narratives that benefit their self-image. The horrible true events that are focused on in this movie still happen to this day, and unfortunately, people repeat history. I believe this is an important message to take away from The Last Duel. However, what we can do with that message is up to us collectively, but we need to be on the side of truth and morality in order to grow as a society.
The Last Duel is a movie that deserves more recognition than it has received, and it is a true shame that it underperformed in the box office (screw you, Halloween Kills). This is a film that could easily seem very slow to some audience members, and is a bit slow during the first act, but I think it becomes more fascinating as it goes along, and the third act will have audiences at the edge of their seats. The Last Duel may not be for everybody, as it is undeniably tough to watch at times, but I think it is one of the best films of the year, and I believe it deserves to win some awards at the Oscars, specifically best original score. I highly recommend The Last Duel if you enjoy historical epics and psychologically driven stories.
