THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Is the truth worth addressing no matter terrifying it may sound? The Last Duel seems to say yes on this matter.
PLOT
Based on the novel by Eric Jager, the film takes place in the 14th century, showing three perspectives of a moment that will never be forgotten. The first chapter focuses on squire Jean de Carouges. After serving the Caroline War, he and his friend Jacques Le Gris swear fealty to Count Pierre d’Alençon, the new overlord of King Charles VI (Alex Lawther). Jean lacks funds and hopes to restore his finances by marrying Marguerite de Thibouville, whose father Sir Robert (Nathaniel Parker) offers a piece of land. However, the promised land is taken from him as a result of Count Pierre settling his father in law’s back taxes and awarding it to Jacques who’s been collecting war levies and organizing his finances on his behalf. He does tend to sue for the land, but the king dismisses the suit. They do try to be at amends, but this does not last. After Jean returns from Paris collecting wages, Marguerite reveals that Jacques raped her when he was absent. Wanting to retaliate, he challenges him to a duel to the death, which the king grants him. The second chapter focuses on Jacques, who gained a friendship with Count Pierre for his prior said services. When he first met Marguerite, he instantly fell for her simply off of the kindness she expressed towards him. After Jean’s original lawsuit, he chose to retaliate by forcing himself on his wife, believing it all to be consensual. Once she spoke out, he denies it to everyone including the Count. Since he refuses to admit to what he did, he accepts the Jean’s challenge to duel. The third and final chapter focuses on Marguerite whose relationship with Jean was originally rocky as they were unable to conceive a child for a while. During his trip to Paris, his mother Nicole (Harriet Walter) left her as well due to an errand, despite that her son ordered to not leave her alone. This gave Jacques the opportunity to rape her with no witnesses, minus the servant that helped him sneak into her home. Although Jean believes her, her friends don’t because they think she’s lying to cover up an affair. Six months later, she is already pregnant at the trial, claiming that her husband is the father. Staying true to her word, the king grants the duel, but the court stipulates that she’ll be burned alive for purgery if Jean loses. This upsets her because he never told her in advance of the stipulation. Days after she gives birth to her child, the duel occurs. It opens with Jean and Jacques jousting, transitioning to hand-to-hand. When Jean pins down Jacques, he gives him one last chance to confess his crime, but he stays true to his lie. He then finishes him off by stabbing him through the face. As he basks in his glory, the film ends in an epilogue revealing after he eventually died fighting in the Crusades years later, Marguerite continued managing his estate and lived peacefully for the remaining 30 years of her life, never re marrying.
THOUGHTS
Since the COVID-19 pandemic made me very picky on what to see in theaters, I deeply regret not making for this on the big screen because I’m certain that the experience would’ve been unforgettable. However when checking getting the opportunity to check this out on HBOMAX, I think this was worth the wait. Director Ridley Scott surprised the hell out of me by sharing a story so gripping that you would hesitantly believe it to be true. When you also combine Dariusz Wolski’s breathtaking cinematography, well designed costumes by Janty Dates and an intense score by Harry Gregson Williams, you felt like you were sent back in time of such a disturbing period. Aside from the titular climax that lives up to being a gruesome and unforgettable sequence, the reason that this could be Scott’s most gripping story to date because it brings up a topic that is relevant to this day. Like myself, it comes to an agreement that telling the truth is always worth it no matter what consequences could occur or how shocking the truth could be. This is the right path because there is no benefit of lying as it will worsen things than it already could. However when you choose the path of honesty, you must remember that it is for the greater good, not for a self benefit. This wouldn’t be made clear with the tremendous cast that was assembled. Matt Damon surprised me greatly by portraying Jean as two faced as his rival. He has us believe that his pride is what makes him good, but it becomes his greatest sin/flaw as he uses it to be a selfish figure of his own. He does seem to love his wife in his own way, but he wants to ensure he gets a benefit and in this case, he want to be most respected when it’s over. You want to be happy for him, yet there is nothing but the feeling of irritation on how he approached it, which explains that there is no satisfaction when he claims victory. Just when you thought Kylo Ren was bad in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Adam Driver easily gave his most villainous performance to date as Jacques. He has us going at first, making us believe he’s trying to play it both ways being as sincere of a friend he could be, while also taking advantage of his privilege. Instead, he becomes purely despicable as the power he gained when befriending with Count Pierre made him the most selfish one in the room. Before he even rapes Marguerite, you’ll already hate him for the layers of greed he displays. By the time he denies what he did, all you can say think of is saying ‘Fuck this guy’ and when he meets his end, it is satisfying. Ben Affleck is honestly slept on when talking about this film, which is a shame because I think even he is great in this film as Count Pierre. In his given time onscreen, he was on point portraying him as the most self indulgent ruler in that era, who preferred partying than being responsible with his duties. It does come off pretty obvious that had he been a better role model to Jacques, then he probably would’ve not made such poor decisions. Last but not least, while the male characters are a driving force to the story, the true lead is Marguerite. Jodie Comer makes her an icon because it is she who makes clear that the truth is worth sharing, no matter what the risk. She was violated and refused to let it be ignored. If she wasn’t brave enough to speak up, there is no telling if future generations of women would ever consider doing the same. Any and every scene of rape is going to be difficult to sit through, especially if shown more than once. The whole point of her rape scene being shown twice was to give two different perspectives, allowing viewers to decide who to believe. And if you ask me, I believe Marguerite before we have to cross those roads. When seeing her smile at her child at the final shot of the film, it comes to show that she did not regret what she did as it made her feel whole again. If she never did, she wouldn’t forgive himself, nor would she be free from the trauma. Hence the smile showing her state of mind. She does also frown because although she got justice, it won’t change what happened to her. To wrap up, The Last Duel is a story that becomes more important everyday and deserves every bit of attention for those who believe that the truth is superior.
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