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Early Reviews For Ridley Scott's The Last Duel Call It Intelligent & Timely


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Early reviews for Ridley Scott's medieval epic The Last Duel have begun to pour in from The Venice Film Festival, with most being mixed-to-positive, calling it cumbersome, claustrophobic, riveting, timely, intelligent and old-fashioned. Written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Nicole Holofcener, The Last Duel is a 14th-Century tale, which is based on real events, centers on two knights who are set to duel over the claims that one of them raped the other's wife. The Last Duel is set to be released in theaters on October 15th, 2021.

The film stars Damon and Affleck, as well as Adam Driver and Jodie Comer, all of whom are immersed in the mud-and-rain-soaked world of Ridley Scott's lens. Scott is no stranger to period epics, having directed the Oscar-winning Gladiator, as well as a number of similarly-themed tales, such as Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and The Duelists. It's the first film written by Damon and Affleck since 1997's Good Will Hunting, which won them both an Oscar for their efforts. Damon and Affleck have cited the topic of the film make it a feminist film.

RELATED:The Last Duel News & Updates: Everything We Know

Reviews for The Last Duel have begun pouring in from Venice, and thus far, they sound like a mixed bag of positive and negative, as well as some in-between takes. Most reviews praise the talent involved, particularly Jodie Comer's performance, while others note the inconsistent accents and long runtime. Scott's attention to detail and macro-focused cinematography seem to be well in place here, which is always the expectation for his refined visual style. The timely #metoo in the 14th Century focus sounds like one of the bigger topics that have divided the reception, which was likely always going to be the case, given the intensity of the subject. Below are some select quotes from Venice critics:

Owen Gleiberman, Variety:

"What’s appealing about “The Last Duel” is that it’s actually, at heart, a rather old-fashioned movie: talky and intricate, spinning around what looks like a competitive, destructive love triangle. What’s odd about it is that it lacks the satisfying dramatic clarity of an old movie. If this story had been made by Hollywood during the studio-system era, one could envision a version of it in which de Carrouges, the uptight devoted good guy, fails to strike the sparks with his wife that Le Gris, the charismatic scoundrel, does. And that would be played out. There are moments when “The Last Duel” seems like that very movie. But only moments."

Ryan Leston, IGN:

"That’s essentially what The Last Duel boils down to: a fight between two men to determine the veracity of a woman’s rape claim. It’s a stark and self-aware reminder of the struggle that many women face, even today. As much a cautionary tale as a legendary one, the seriousness of the story is backed by its atmospheric setting. Scott uses a palette of subdued greys and stony castle walls to create a grim, almost claustrophobic feel. You can feel the weight of the film’s world in almost every scene."

Rafaela Sales Ross, Little White Lies

"The men cut and pull and grunt, as even single droplets of sweat become sopranos in this overwhelming orchestra that is equal parts numbing and riveting. Alas, once the adrenaline-infused high of the combat begins to fade, the film’s shaky portrayal of rape and gender imbalance rises to the fore, turning bitter the sweetness left by Scott’s audio-inclined feast"

Jessica Kiang, The Playlist

"...in Marguerite’s account, the film’s cleverest bait-and-switch is pulled. For anyone who’s been rather guiltily enjoying all the bros-before-hos shenanigans so far (and with Affleck being this much campy good value, how can you not?) with quite some wit and slyness, “The Last Duel,” suddenly proves it’s fully self-aware, and that pretending, with the stentorian seriousness of which Ridley Scott is so capable, that it was going to exactly emulate 14th Century society by telling the story of a rape trial through the eyes of the menfolk involved, was part of the gotcha all along."

Ben Croll, Indiewire

"Through all these overlapping approaches “The Last Duel” reveals itself as something all too rare on the current Hollywood field of battle: an intelligent and genuinely daring big budget melee that is — above all else — the product of recognizable artistic collaboration. I guess that makes us the winners."

Jonathan Romney, The Guardian

"However, by the time the film gets round to showing its hand as an episode of Medieval #MeToo, it has numbed us with so much flash and fustian that the heart of the story has almost been drowned. Marguerite’s story could have made a fascinating, somewhat Shavian drama if only the grandiose spectacle (and the 152-minute running time) had been stripped back. As it is, you quickly tire of the mud, metal and permanently medieval weather: if it’s not snowing, everything’s steeped in mist. And it takes a considerable leap of faith to get over Damon’s mullet and bogbrush beard, less 14th-century knight than 1990s nu-metal bro."

Other notable responses to the film have been focused on the three-part story told in three different perspectives, which seems to be hit or miss for critics. The first part of the story is told from Damon's Jean de Carrouges, the second from Driver's Jacques Le Gris and the third from Comer's Marguerite de Thibouville (for which writer Nicole Holofcener mostly contributed to). The difficulty in pulling off such a narrative is the biggest takeaway, as some critics felt it worked, while others didn't.

Fans of Ridley Scott will recognize this type of criticism, as it's typical for his non-Gladiator historical epics. In most cases, the reception has been lukewarm overall, with some vehemently disliking or passionately loving these types of films from the prolific director. While Scott dips in and out of the genre over the years to counter with more commercial works, such as The Martian or Alien: Covenant, his historical films have always been more divisive when they don't start with the word Gladiator, and The Last Duel sounds well within that wheelhouse. With that said, Scott will have another historical film for audiences to see after The Last Duel, as he reunites with Driver for House of Gucci, which releases in November. Ultimately, fans of Ridley Scott are about to be well fed.

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