The Mosley Review: The Last Duel

Well this is a switch up for sure. Most of the time you have a film that's set in the medieval time period, its mostly about the Crusades or some religious war. The epic battles usually take president, but not this time. This time around its about subjects that still happen in 21st century. The fights over land in terms of economics, titles, arranged marriages and unfortunately sexual assault are still prevalent in our society. I can't recall the last time I have seen a film tackle such themes and subjects in a period piece outside of the 40's - 50's and do it so well. I did enjoy having the main story split up into 3 different chapters and how each one had a point of view leading up to the central event and its fallout for each character. The film felt jankey in the beginning with so many time jumps and quick cuts that it almost was confusing. In period films like these, it frustrates me to no end when the actors don't at least have an accent of any kind. That was one thing that truly took me out of the film.

Matt Damon is always great in everything and as Jean de Carrouges, he was good. Aside from being a powerful fighter, he was a business man and I liked that aspect. At times I felt it hard to care about him because of his ego getting in the way and the way he would disregard his wife. Adam Driver was great as his former friend Jacques Le Gris and he really does deliver the underlining darkness inside of the character. He may be a sort of debt collector, but he is also a bit of a charmer. The tension between him and Damon was so thick that you would have to chop it with an axe and it was a brutal confrontation that was also satisfying. I really wished that both of them had an accent to match the time period they were representing. Jodie Comer was outstanding and strong in the film as Jean's wife Marguerite de Carrouges. In a world controlled by men, she was brave to face them and I loved her unshakable conviction. The scene where she is assaulted was rough to watch, but important to see and I applaud Jodie for not shying away from showing the many levels of grief and then strength after. You truly feel for her as everyone treats her like dirt for her decision to not be silenced. Ben Affleck was truly chewing up the scenery as Count Pierre d'Alençon. He had an accent of some kind, but it was so in and out that I think he just gave up half way through. The friendship between Pierre and Jacques was good and frat boy like and you saw their defining moral code diminish over time. There was a moment though where Pierre had a conscience and it was good to see him have a moral compass that wasn't broken if only for a moment.

The score by Harry Gregson-Williams was good, but almost not present. It underlines the more intense moments, but doesn't really do anything for the more emotional scenes. Visually the film has that defining style that Director Ridley Scott is known for with his ash like snow and cold hues of blue. The action was bloody, dirty and the last duel in the film was great, but it all comes secondary to the main plot which was fascinating. I never knew the true story that this film was based on and it was an interesting portrayal of it, but delivery felt a bit dull and choppy. Overall, I thought it was a decent period drama with great performances, but lacked the gripping delivery to keep me interested. The lack of an accent from Driver and Damon truly took me out of the film while Jodie's performance kept me invested. I would recommend this film for a home viewing instead of rushing out to the theater. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!