The Last Duel

 The Last Duel
Starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck
Directed by Ridley Scott

There's a saying when two people are telling the truth: the actual truth lies somewhere in the middle. Everyone, no matter who we are, see things through our own particular lens and what we think is truth isn't always that, and sometimes what we say is the truth really isn't as well. While this has little to no effect in most situations, sometimes the consequences are literally life and death, especially back in the olden ages. Ridley Scott's "The Last Duel" is one such story, a film about a woman claiming that she was raped, and the two men who tell their versions of the truth - before she tells the real truth.

Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) is a decorated soldier who's completely committed to serving the king and vanquishing any enemy that he comes into contact with. Along with his friend Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), they continually battle the enemies of France, but while Jacques is a more learned, carefree man, Carroughes is illiterate, hotheaded, and temperamental. When he weds Marguerite (Jodie Comer), the daughter of a previous traitor to France, he earns the ire of Count Pierre d'Alencon (Ben Affleck), who holds Jacques in higher regard. When Carrouges discovers d'Alencon took some land that was once promised to him as a dowry for marrying Marguerite, he raises a lawsuit against d'Alencon and Le Gris, leading to more bad blood between the three. It all comes to a head when Marguerite claims she's attacked and raped by Le Gris while Carrouges is away, and to rectify the injustice done to his wife, Carrouges issues a duel to the death - something that hasn't been done in recent memory. Jacques accepts, as he claims he's telling the truth that he didn't rape her, and claims God will prove who's telling the truth with the duel - and if Carrouges dies, Marguerite will be burned alive for lying.

Ridley Scott has a knack for directing epic period pieces such as "Kingdom of God" and especially the Oscar-winning "Gladiator," but he's also been known to direct some duds as well, including "Robin Hood" and "Exodus: Gods and Kings," and "The Last Duel" falls somewhere solidly down the middle, leaning more toward the better side of his period works. The film is a polished piece of work, filmed with classic hues of grey and blue, lavishly designed set pieces, and beautiful costume designs that truly transport you to France in the late 1300s. It's filled with exciting action sequences that involve more blood and guts than you've come to expect from films like this (which is really refreshing, because once you're hit with a sword in real life, you're going to bleed). It's got palatial intrigue and suspense. It's got the true-life story to tell that's written for the screen by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the first time they co-wrote a script since their Academy Award-winning "Good Will Hunting" (with Nicole Holofcener writing  Marguerite's parts). It's got everything going for it to make it an epic, sprawling film like "Gladiator," and I really don't know personally why I didn't enjoy it as much as I did with the aforementioned film.

"The Last Duel" is unique in that it's split into three chapters, each chapter focusing on the truth of one of the main characters, and you see how stories tend to blend in some places and conflict in others (such as Carrouges in his story saving Le Gris from almost getting killed, when Le Gris's story tells the opposite). It's fascinating because the film doesn't follow the typical linear nature of traditional storytelling, but instead spends a decent amount of time with each character and the stories they choose to tell. In Carrouges eyes, he's a war hero who married out of love and seeks only to protect his wife's honor. Le Gris sees himself as an attractive, well-learned man that every woman wants to be with, who is also in love with Marguerite and feels that he can treat her better than the brutish Carrouges. Marguerite's story sees the bad in both - as Carrouges argues over his dowry and the despicable things Le Gris does to her. Truly, we are the heroes in our own story, and that proves itself well in "The Last Duel."

All of the actors perform spectacularly, even if some of their personal appearances have something to be desired. Matt Damon breezes through his performance as Carrouges, but all I noticed was his awful soul patch. Adam Driver also gives an easy performance as Le Gris, and since his story is seen mostly through his eyes, comes across as a charming and intelligent man. Jodie Comer is practically sidelined until her story is told, and she proves to be a powerful force all on her own, proving herself to be smarter than the two men vying for her affections. Then there's Ben Affleck, who plays Count Pierre d'Alencon (a man that's actually related to Affleck, albeit spanning many centuries), who just seems to be along for the ride. He's carefree and womanizing, focusing more on having a good time than ruling, and his bleach blonde hair really does him no favors. Maybe that's what I found most off-putting in the film - Damon's facial hair and Affleck's bleached hair. In that case, it's a very minuscule thing to knit-pick, but I can't get it out of my head.

When the actual duel between Carrouges and Le Gris occurs, it's your typical flare. One man gets the upper hand, then the other, then they stalemate, and then go back at it again until only one stands (and a basic Wikipedia search will tell you who wins), but it's still exciting albeit a bit too short compared to the overall length of this epic (153 minutes, while the duel itself is about 10). Perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I went into it, but while I enjoyed the fact that they told each person's story and noticing the small differences, it didn't really keep my attention as much as I feel like it should've.

Ridley Scott's "The Last Duel" is an epic period piece that has a solid story, fantastic actors, and stunning cinematography going for it, but while all the pieces fit perfectly together, it's not one of those classics you're going to reflect on decades from now saying what a great piece of cinema it is.

The Score: A