The Last Duel

 3/4

Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, Ben Affleck, Harriet Walter

Rated R for Strong Violence including a Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Some Graphic Nudity, and Language

"The Last Duel" is something that is all too rare these days: a thinking person's movie for adults.  So many movies are watered down for the world audience and the lowest common denominator that it is refreshing to at last find a movie that not only demands that an audience use their brains, but doesn't make concessions for tween crowd.  This is a movie for adults in every fiber of its being, and it is a credit to the filmmakers that they allowed it to be so.  Of course, this is a Ridley Scott movie, and what Ridley wants, Ridley gets.

Lady Marguerite de Carrouges (Comer) has made a shocking accusation: she has accused her husband's best friend and squire, Jacques Le Gris (Driver) of raping her.  To make him pay for his actions and defend his wife's honor, Margurite's husband Jean (Damon) has challenged him to a duel to the death.

That's the film's jumping off point.  The bulk of the story is the events leading up to the crime and the aftermath.  Making this much more interesting is that the narrative is told from three perspectives: Jean's, Jacques's, and finally, Margurite's.

The three interpretations differ wildly.  So much so that it is a testament to the actors that they never falter in the vast array of shades of character they are expected to reveal.  Fortunately, Ridley Scott has assembled a strong cast of actors, and they don't disappoint.  Damon never disappoints and Adam Driver shows once again why he has become a star.  Up and coming English actress Jodie Comer, fresh off her star-making turn in "Free Guy," displays quiet strength and dignity.  Good as they are, none of them give the strongest performance in the film.  That distinction goes to Ben Affleck, who is utterly unrecognizable as the king's right hand man, Pierre d'Alencon.  Affleck steals his scenes as a governor who would rather party and fornicate than work, and who inadvertently plays a part in the whole ordeal.  He doesn't share many scenes with Damon, but the moments they do appear together are all the more impressive considering how much Jean and Pierre hate each other.

Scott does justice to the story by painting the characters in shades of grey (considering his "Rashomon"-like approach, could he have done anything else?).  The characters change depending on whose version it is.  For example, Jean views Jacques as a scheming weasel who is on a quest to take everything from him. Jacques, on the other hand, views himself as a good man who tries (ineffectually) to save his friend from his worst impulses.  Margurite views both of them differently than they could ever imagine.  What makes this film more intriguing that it is probable that each character views their version as the "truth" (that the film firmly establishes its own "truth" does not mitigate this at all).  Not that it saves them.

As good as the film is, I recommend waiting for home viewing.  The reason being that, if you see it in a theater that doesn't have its settings up to par, the whole thing is almost impossible to see.  The film looks like it was filmed in a murky, muddy soup.  But considering the talent behind the film (director Ridley Scott and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski), I'm going to blame the theater.  It's impossible to believe that these men would intentionally make the film look so dark and hard to see.  By its nature, this is a dark and moody film and the color has been desaturated, but without a prime viewing experience, it feels like watching it with a lot of backlight.

Little would be lost in waiting.  Despite what you might think, this isn't an action picture.  There are some battles, but they're short and not especially important.  The exception, of course, is the duel that bookends the film, which crackles with tension and excitement.  But it's not the kind of action that would be diminished on the small screen.