It's amazing how the little things can really drag a movie down sometimes. The Last Duel really suffered that with me, which is a shame because it's a film about a really important subject with some great talent and wonderful acting. What hurts it for me though is the pacing, the Affleck and the charisma.

The film is broken into three parts, exploring the perspectives from each side of the central event. This is a valuable perspective to have and I think this is a fascinating way to go about it but it felt so chunky to me, lingering and jumping, dragging and skipping at times. There was no sense of time for me, no sense of this being a prolonged thing save the couple mentions of "I'll be gone a couple months." I think this is just the risk taken when doing this sort of three part, perspective piece though. They have to jump around and move quickly through some stuff and linger on others based on each character, I just found it distracting.

Almost as distracting as Affleck. Seriously, what's going on with this guy? Sometimes he's great and then sometimes he shows up as the OG Dark Age Juggalo that feels completely out of place in this entire experience. He is in a whole other movie and whoever's in charge failed to tell him this is a bleak period piece and not a remake of Caligula. This is really impressive considering he was one of the people in charge, which makes it feel a bit more like he just wanted to do something and he's the boss so who's going to stop him?

Speaking of bleak, that's all this movie is. From the color filter, to the actions on the screen, the characters we're presented with, everything is a downer. Incidentally, that makes Affleck's character seem even more out of place but I digress. Comer is doing something and absolutely gets you to feel for her, but only because of how utterly miserable and tragic her life is. Driver is a terrible man with illusions of being a romantic. Damon is that guy that would go to some kids birthday party and remind everyone that children are dying all over the world because he didn't get a corner slice and everyone needs to be miserable for not worshiping him.

Look, this is the tragic tale of a woman who is sexually assaulted in a world where she has no rights and must rely on the men around her to do what's right, which seems increasingly unlikely. The parallels it makes to modern times are undeniably poignant and the visceral way in which it portrays the act is hard to watch and it should be. It's a horrific thing and it should seem like it. I could just go for one shred of light piercing through the grime of this world, a shred of something other than despair and damnation. Maybe one moment where it seems like Damon's character actually gives a damn about Comer's or a sweet moment between her and... Anyone! Anyone at all. When it's bleak followed by despair, followed by depression, followed by hopelessness for two and a half hours, it's hard to walk away from it and feel good about the experience. From a cursory glance though, I'm in the minority on this and to that end I do think this is worth checking out but with the warning that this is very dark and covers some very difficult, potentially triggering issues and it doesn't shy away from them.

This is a story of the same events told through different viewpoints. And with each viewpoint, you're going to notice major differences, as well as subtle ones.

It's a perfect example of how unreliable people are when they tell their side of the story. How people both intentionally and unintentionally choose to change and omit important parts of it. How everyone remembers things differently.

Greetings again from the darkness. This review comes a bit late in regards to last year's release date, but one of the most fun things about the film was the veteran director's response to it being one of the biggest box office 'bombs' of 2021. Ridley Scott's blamed those of a certain age group, as he criticized millennials for being too attached to their cell phones to recognize an interesting, informative, and entertaining movie. Octogenarian Scott knows a bit about big budget films after directing such films as ALIEN (1979),BLADE RUNNER (1982),GLADIATOR (2000),PROMETHEUS (2012),and THE MARTIAN (2015),however we get the feeling that his reaction stemmed from ego, and overlooked the fact that older movie goers had not returned to the theater due to the ongoing pandemic.

Based on true events and Eric Jager's 2004 bestseller, "The Last Duel: A True Story of Trail by Combat in Medieval France", the script was co-written by Nicole Holofcener, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck (the latter two being Oscar winners for their GOOD WILL HUNTING script in 1997). Damon and Affleck were initially set to co-star here, but scheduling conflicts forced to Affleck to take a lesser role, allowing for the addition of Adam Driver. The film opens in 1386 as Damon's Jean de Carrouges and Driver's Jacques Le Gris prepare for the titular jousting duel. We then flashback to a battle scene during the Hundred Year War featuring the two fighting alongside each other for France.

Utilizing a RASHOMON-inspired story structure, the film is divided into three "The Truth According to ..." chapters: Jean de Carrouges, Jacques Le Gris, and Lady Marguerite. A sly use of chapter titles informs us which of these is considered the real truth, but this is 14th century history, so there's always some doubt. And doubt plays a key role in the crucial conflict at the film's core. Carrouges and Le Gris have a friendship initially, however where Carrouges is hard and withdrawn, Le Gris is more politically savvy - building a relationship with Pierre (Affleck),powerful cousin to King Charles VI. The friendship dissolves into a rivalry that culminates with Carrouges's wife Marguerite (Jodie Comer) accusing Le Gris of rape. We see the three versions of this occurrence, leaving little doubt.

What stands out through most of the story is just how little power or standing women had during this time. It was a man's world and women were treated as property, much the same as a plat of land. But the most ludicrous commentary on the times is the hearing that results in the King authorizing the Duel that will determine a verdict. If Le Gris kills Carrouges, then it is determined that Marguerite was lying and she will be burned to death. If Carrouges kills Le Gris, then his old friend will be considered guilty of rape. Either way is supposedly "God's will".

Harriet Walter is perfectly creepy as Jean de Carrouges' mother, as is Alex Lawther as "The Mad" King Charles VI (age 15 at the time of the duel). I found Damon and Affleck to be distractions in their roles, but Ms. Comer was outstanding - believable in all aspects of the character. Ridley Scott delivered a realistic look to the film, and the brutality and visceral violence are true standouts, especially in the duel. Having the three perspectives worked well, and drove home the point of how delusional men were/are. Surprisingly, there is an undercurrent of contemporary attitude here, and for the most part, Mr. Scott was correct ... it's an entertaining film, even if it wasn't technically the "last" duel.