THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Updated: Dec 13, 2022
An Intense Look at Gender Relations in Medieval France
Grade: B+
**Spoiler Alert!!**
Ridley Scott's The Last Duel is an engrossing and multi-layered story that effectively juggles with the emotions of its audience. First it annoys with its overly fast pace in the first act, along with a seeming lack of character development. Then it intrigues when it is revealed to have a clever narrative of multiple perspectives made famous by Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950). At the same time, it sucks viewers in with its impressive costumes and performances. Finally, it horrifies when it displays the terrible plights suffered by the heroine. Although the sheer unpleasantness of the movie's inciting incident threatens to derail it, the powerful and shocking story make it a compelling drama. It could also turn out to be one of the most controversial movies this year.
The Last Duel is set in France in the latter part of the 14th century, and director Scott and his crew bring this era to life in many magnificent ways. The costumes are especially impressive, displaying different attires for people of various classes and occupations from the time period. The story follows three perspectives on events leading up to a verdict that decides on the last royally-sanctioned duel in the country's history. All three viewpoints display some of the same things, but with some differences depending on who is the focus. The first viewpoint is that of Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), a soldier whose fortunes go through many ups and downs. He provokes the ire of despicable Count Pierre d'Alencon (Ben Affleck) by disobeying orders in battle and suing for land promised to his wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer). He is stripped of his inheritance as lord of a castle, but he later becomes a knight.
One night, after he returns home, he is told by Marguerite that she was raped by his friend, Jacques de Gris (Adam Driver). The second viewpoint is that of Jacques, and it is made clear that he is guilty when he visibly lusts after Marguerite before taking advantage of her. After Jean and Marguerite deliver their case to the king, it is agreed that he and Jacque will fight to the death; the winner will determine whether Marguerite's accusations are just.
Finally, Marguerite's perspective is shown, and hers is the most eye-opening and shocking of all-especially when the movie makes it clear that hers is the truth. We learn that, despite early scenes displaying Jean as a caring husband, he in fact does not really care about her except as a potential mother to his heir. He angrily reprimands her when she wears a revealing dress in public and when she tells him that she was raped, his biggest concern is that Jacques hurt him and he immediately demands that she sleep with him.
This sudden change in Jean's character from the movie's first half is jarring, and yet Matt Damon makes it convincing. When the titular duel comes around, he has cemented himself as a hateful character to the point that audiences will be cheering for him only for Marguerite's sake, not his own; he and Jacques are both guilty of crimes against his wife. This reviewer was initially upset when the movie devoted practically no development to their relationship before they were married, but this was actually intentional: it is not about their love, because there really is no love between them.
The film's sudden and explicit delivery of its feminist message may seem distracting. Marguerite's stand against the oppressive and male-dominated order is a major tonal and narrative shift from the rest of the film. But what's even more jarring is the visceral and oppressive way the film displays Marguerite's troubles. After she delivers her testimony, everyone's back is turned towards her, and the penalty she must face if her husband loses the fight is exceedingly cruel.
The most shocking thing about the movie is the rape scene itself, shown in Jacques and Marguerite's stories, and it is most intense in her vision. This reviewer diverted his eyes a few times because of how uncomfortable it was. All these elements can assault the audience to such a degree that one cannot help but face the horror of how cruelly women were treated.
In addition, the movie doesn't go this route until well into its runtime. Before we were exploring Jean and Jacque's problems and adventures and were actually made to feel sorry for Jean in his feud with the Count. This illustrates the power of the screenplay to manipulate the audience's expectations and allegiance, further adding to the film's quality.
The Last Duel can be seen as a counterpart of sorts to Scott's Alien (1979). Both movies tell about a brave woman who emerges as the protagonist halfway through the story and struggles alone against horrifying odds. But while Alien took place in a fictional future, The Last Duel takes place in a very real and even scarier past. The idea of an independent-thinking woman was very much unheard of at the time. Scott presents this past in a very real way, but not until after the story has drawn viewers in. And when this reality is finally revealed, it packs a huge wallop. This makes The Last Duel a masterfully-crafted and powerful film.
Director: Ridley Scott
Producers: Ridley Scott, Kevin J. Walsh, Jennifer Fox, Nicole Holofcener, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck
Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon (Based on the novel by Eric Jager)
Cast: Matt Damon (Jean de Carrouges), Adam Driver (Jacques Le Gris), Jodie Comer (Marguerite de Carrouges), Ben Affleck (Count Pierre d'Alencon), Harriet Walter (Nicole de Buchard), Nathaniel Parker (Sir Robert de Thibouville), Sam Hazeldine (Thomin du Bois)
Rated: R (for strong violence including sexual assault, sexual content, some graphic nudity, and language)
コメント