Cast:
Matt Damon (Sir Jean de Carrouges), Adam Driver (Jacques Le Gris), Jodie Comer (Marguerite de Carrouges), Ben Affleck (Count Pierre d'Alençon), Harriet Walter (Nicole de Buchard), Alex Lawther (King Charles VI), Serena Kennedy (Queen Isabeau), Marton Csokas (Crespin), Željko Ivanek (Le Coq), Tallulah Haddon (Marie), Bryony Hannah (Alice), and Nathaniel Parker (Sir Robert de Thibouville) Directed by Ridley Scott (#100 - Blade Runner, #530 - Alien, #739 - The Martian, #1076 - Thelma & Louise, #1524 - Gladiator)
Review:
"I think what it boils down to — what we've got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these fucking cell phones. The millennian do not ever want to be taught anything unless you are told it on the cell phone"
It is not every day you can get to enjoy an old-fashioned long action drama, complete with actors who also serve as writers. But one can never know what to expect in the modern age, since I know you haven't exactly heard of this movie. I know I didn't really think of this one, which came out in October of last year and managed to generate a memorable statement from its director on how it failed (the budget was $100 million, and it made not even half of that upon release by 20th Century Studios); of course, the film was set to be released in the winter of 2020, but I'm sure you know why it was pushed back. Well, let us start with the details: the movie is as adaptation of The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager, a 2004 historical novel that detailed the duel of trial by combat done between two knights of France on the 29th of December in 1386, which was attended by both members of the royal family along with residents of Paris (incidentally, both knights were in their mid-fifties when they did this duel) after one of them was accused of rape by the wife of the other knight; if the husband died, the wife would have been burned alive, as a sign of God's will. It was not the last duel ever held in the country (that happened in 1547 as a matter of honor), but it was the last judicial duel ever held that resulted in the death of one of the participants (incidentally, the survivor would live for ten more years before dying in the Crusades) along with extensive coverage from chroniclers and historians over the centuries. Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon wrote the screenplay for the film (incidentally, Affleck was at one point attached to serve as the main lead alongside Damon but instead elected for a supporting role).
I was expecting a decent movie, albeit one that I hoped would justify its lengthy run-time. The movie is 153 minutes long, as it is a movie that shows the perspective of each of the main three characters in telling the story of the de Carrouges-Le Gris conflict, going from Damon to Driver to Comer before closing with the duel; not surprisingly, the movie has been compared to Rashomon (1954) in the showing of multiple perspectives. The result is a magnificent experience, a gruesomely honest movie that makes a 14th century tale seem quite diverting and relevant without falling into self-parody (there is probably an argument that one with an offbeat sense of humor could make a comedy out of the material, but I digress). Granted, it isn't a perfect epic, but it fills most of the requirements laid out from a period action drama to make it all work for riveting entertainment. Damon is enjoyable to watch here, capturing the duality that comes with his take on a historical knight: fierce but temperamental, rash but also brave in what and who is he is that proves quite interesting to view in each of the three perspectives, which only goes to show how a scene can be interesting when you see it from many angles, such as the moment with him arguing over fairness (in regards to not being named to a certain position) in front of Driver and Affleck. There are no real heroes or villains with this kind of story, and Damon does just right with what is needed here. Driver encapsulates the other side of infamy in imposing confidence, one with a certain kind of confidence and assured nature that plays off Damon and Comer in distinct ways throughout the perspectives for useful effect, which makes him a quality figure worth seeing for the duel. In other words: Damon and Driver make a good pair of figures to build for a fight, both wrapped in pride and confidence as heroes in their own mind. Incidentally, each actor did their own stunts, as coordinated by Rob Inch - while the helmets worn by each man makes their face visible in contradiction to history, it certainly doesn't affect the quality of the fight, which has a mix of jousting and fight with weapons in heavy armor. Not to be lost in this is Comer, trapped in a system of expectations that has her firmly at a disadvantage that she handles like a pro in timing. She carries her end of the story with knowing presence, a woman of fate more than anything. The rest of the cast do pretty well to serve their roles within the varying perspectives, which mostly benefit Affleck in his key part that he handles with collected confidence. The action is here and there, but it is well-executed and quite satisfying to play out amidst the look of the film, which looks pretty good for the time period. As a whole, the movie is a wonderfully executed one, one with attention to detail in craftsmanship from a director who has known what he has wanted to show on film for decades with worthy confidence to back it up. As an action period drama, Scott has made a clear winner that should deserve appreciation that could make a case for a cult classic in the coming years, one with enough entertainment in armored action and a useful trio to carry it all together. Brutal but fair, The Last Duel is the kind of movie you would expect a director to get angry about when people didn't appreciate its worthy talents in its time.
Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.
And with that, Action in August formally ends. Twelve films in the span of a month that all had a distinct level of action throughout a century of film was pretty interesting to do, and I hope you enjoyed reading every word of it.
