Movie Review - The Last Duel (2021)

Rashomon (1951) is the obvious comparison. The structure and plot elements here are clearly aping that Japanese classic but only superficially. We are told a story about a sexual assault and eventual killing from three different perspectives. Unfortunately, those three different perspectives aren't all that enlightening after the first perspective. They're not much insightful. They're not even all that different. The point-of-view of each story gives us pretty much the exact same story. Presumably, each perspective should have been different to a degree that we shouldn't know if one or any of the respected parties is lying or confused. Here, we get the exact same story where people do the exact same thing and we watch them do it three times. There's no point to the repetition, except to give the actors involved more screen time and additional development of their characters but it wasn't necessary.

There have been several properties that have utilized the Rashomon effect of telling a story from multiple perspectives, each one being slightly different or even each one providing more insight. One of the best examples is Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and its episode titled "A Matter of Perspective," which aired in that show's third season. That episode was also about a sexual assault and eventual killing from two different perspectives. The perspectives are indeed different. The differences are almost night-and-day. People act almost wildly different in the various perspectives. It's almost done intentionally to underscore how people's perception and memory can be flawed. You're inherently supposed to believe one person's perspective over the other, but the point is still made.

Matt Damon (The Martian and Good Will Hunting) stars as Jean de Carrouges, a French knight in the 14th century who is famous for fighting in the final judicial trial by combat in the country. In 1386, Jean accused a neighbor and former friend of raping his wife. Instead of going to a legal courtroom, the two decided to settle the matter through a fight to the death where the winner is deemed right. The film flashes back and tells the story of the ten years leading up to that fight.

Adam Driver (Marriage Story and BlacKkKlansman) co-stars as Jacques Le Gris, a fellow French knight who befriended Jean before Jean got married. Jacques fell out of friendship with Jean due to disputes they had over land and their ranks as knights. He's the one who's accused of raping Jean's wife. He denies the charges and could have gone to a legal courtroom where he could have been acquitted, but Jacques agreed to do the trial by combat. Jacques agreed to fight Jean to the death and the winner is deemed the person telling the truth.

Jodie Comer (Free Guy and Killing Eve) also co-stars as Marguerite de Carrouges, the wife to Jean. She's the one who claims that Jacques raped her. She's a beautiful blonde who actually isn't just a pretty face. She's an educated woman in that she knows how to read. She also knows how to read and speak in various languages. Her father is considered a traitor, but she has a dowry of land that Jean finds just as attractive because he's having financial troubles.

We see the story of ten years told from Jean's perspective, Jacques' perspective and finally Marguerite's perspective. All three are virtually the same. There are some variations. The most pronounced is the marriage between Jean and Marguerite. Jean's perspective suggests their marriage was very happy and the two were really in love. Marguerite's perspective suggests their marriage wasn't satisfying. However, because Jean wasn't there when his wife was assaulted, the only perspectives that really matter are Jacques and Marguerite. Strangely, both of them depict the rape in almost exactly the same way, so there is no dispute in the crime, so I don't get the point of depicting it twice, if it's the same thing.

The only dispute is the titular fight between Jean and Jacques, which doesn't happen until the very end of the film, which doesn't arrive until more than two hours into it. In terms of blood and gore, as well as brutality, the fight between Jean and Jacques is way more intense than anything in Rashomon. It also rivals anything in Gladiator (2000), which is the other Ridley Scott film to which this one is the closest. Otherwise, the only compelling thing about this film is the role of Pierre d'Alençon, played by Ben Affleck (Gone Girl and Good Will Hunting). Pierre is a count and relative of King Charles VI who basically has power over Jean and Jacques. He represents basically everything that is rape culture and toxic masculinity. Affleck has two Oscars but has never been nominated for acting. This could be his first opportunity to do so.

Rated R for strong violence, rape, sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
Running Time: 2 hrs. and 32 mins.

In theaters.