Movie Review: ‘The Last Duel’

by | Oct 15, 2021 | Featured, Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments

Review by Lauryn

Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel is based on a true story in medieval France – the story of Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer), who accuses Jacques LeGris (Adam Driver), a friend of her husband’s, of rape. Then as now, women who accuse prominent men of rape are often not believed, though Marguerite’s husband, Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) believes her. Carrouges decides to take LeGris to court, even though LeGris has the support of Pierre dd’Alencon (Ben Affleck), the lord both men have sworn allegiance to – and also the cousin of King Charles VI (Alex Lawther). Carrouges persuades the king to allow the matter to be settled in a duel: a win for Carrouges means LeGris is guilty, with the punishment of death; a win for LeGris proves his innocence – and also condemns Marguerite to death by burning.

Scott divides the story into three chapters, with each chapter taking the perspective of one of the parties in the suit, starting with the Battle of Limoges in 1370 and culminating in the duel in 1386. The first chapter is from the perspective of Carrouges, who views himself as a much-wronged underdog; LeGris takes the spotlight as a self-righteous knight in the second chapter; the final chapter tells Marguerite’s version of the story.

Neither Carrouges nor LeGris come off as great men in their narratives, which are largely composed of bloody battles, scheming for money and power, and, in the case of LeGris womanizing. Carrouges is a cranky, jealous man who seethes over the wrongs he believes his friend-turned-enemy LeGris has done him, and LeGris is a debauched social-climber whose behavior is hardly noble. But it’s Marguerite who is the truly interesting character. For two-thirds of the film she is mostly a tool, married for her money and presented as a trophy.

The Last Duel is often brutal, both in the battle scenes and in the rape scene that audiences are shown from both the victim’s and the perpetrator’s perspectives, which makes it difficult to watch. The performances, however, make for compelling viewing, as each chapter calls for a different performance from each actor – sometimes dramatically so, as in the case of Matt Damon’s Carrouges.

This movie is not for everyone, but I found it fascinating. My only complaint is that Comer’s Marguerite is relegated to the shortest chapter of a film celebrating her courage.