My parents actually got me The Last Dual on 4K for Christmas and over the weekend, I finally had the chance to check it out. This is brought to us by Ridley Scott and features a fantastic cast. I went into this thinking it was an action movie set in France during the 1300s, but it is actually far more of a drama and it ended up being one of my favorite movies of 2021.
How to Stream or Download The Last Duel
You can stream it or you can download the film from a digital store you like. Click on the Download button and make your choice. If you like Ridley Scott films, check out also our reviews of Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000), Prometheus (2012), The Martian (2015), Alien: Covenant (2017), and House of Gucci (2021).
The Movie Review
The 1300s setting is great and, in the movie, we have these two French nobles in Jean (Matt Damon) and Jacques (Adam Driver) who are under the control of the King’s overlord, Count Pierre d’Alençon played by Ben Affleck. I thought this was going to be an epic action movie about these two warring knights, but it is far more than that.
Jean and Jacques actually start out kind of friendly, but they soon develop a fierce rivalry. Jean holds an immense resentment for the way that Count Pierre d’Alençon favors Jacques and it just eats him up. Things are greatly complicated when Jean’s wife, Marguerite accuses Jacques of sexually assaulting her. Seeing a movie set in 1300s France that deals with sexual assault was not something I ever expected to see!
Anyway, the story that The Last Dual tells is told from three points of view. That is right, this movie tells the same story three times, once from Jean’s point of view, once from Jacques’s point of view, and then the truth. It sounds like it would be kind of boring, but it is done very well, which is what you would expect from someone like Ridley Scott.
As I have said, I went into this expecting an action movie but ended up with an epic drama instead. Well, The Last Duel does still have some action and it is fantastic, but it is only a very small part of the movie. I think that this made it even more great and exciting, to be honest with you. When you do finally get to see Jean and Jacques have their duel, it is truly amazing and exciting stuff indeed.
I have to say that I do think this movie is probably not going to be for everyone. I though, was very entertained and left wondering what was going to be revealed as the actual truth of what really happened! I do not think it is the kind of movie you could watch over and over again, but it is still greatly entertaining.
One thing I will say about The Last Duel is that it is a very long movie, it comes in at around the two and a half hours mark. Not only is this a long movie, but it is also a movie that demands you pay attention so make sure you are not on your phone while watching this. If you want a movie that is smart, has some great performances and will keep you guessing, you cannot go wrong with this.
