A historic epic bold enough to feature a blonde Ben Affleck and a mulleted Matt Damon, Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel is given life from a riveting performance by Jodie Comer.
Based on the historical book of the same name by Eric Jager, Comer plays the real-life Marguerite de Carrouges, wife to Damon’s Sir Jean de Carrouges. It centers on the sexual assault of Marguerite by Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) and the subsequent fallout when she bravely came forward with the truth knowing the impending scrutiny and peril of raising such an accusation. Fearing that the close relationship and favor Le Gris has with Affleck’s Count Pierre d’Alençon could have influence on the process, Jean instead challenges him to a battle to the death to let God determine the truth.
The ensuing fight serves as the climax of the film, proving (as the title indicates) to be the last officially-approved judicial duel in France. However, the strength of the narrative comes from how it approaches the story. Split into three chapters that present the events from the perspective of each of the main characters (Sir Jean, Le Gris and Marguerite) it masks the truth until giving clarity in the final chapter with the simplest of introductory fading text revealing that this is what actually happened.
The path the film takes, a long one in length at over two and a half hours, is bolstered by the expansive and contradicting timelines. Initial glimpses of Sir Jean give the impression that he is a brave, if somewhat brash, leader who cares deeply for his wife. The reality through the eyes of Marguerite, the character with the most to lose who also sees the most clearly, reveals the brutality and cruelty of the world her husband represents. It still does take a bit of a journey to arrive at that truth, though it is forgivable when you see that reality.
That harsh reality is captured in a dark and dour visual panoply of misery. The handful of battle scenes are stripped of anything resembling heroic romanticism and the concluding fight is no different. The stakes are such that, if her husband loses the duel, Marguerite will be burned alive as punishment for coming forward with her story. The lack of agency over the fate of her own life is agonizing as she must watch as merely a bystander in a contest that will determine her fate.
All the praise to Comer for imbuing a character who could otherwise be stagnant with a dynamic screen presence even when left on the sidelines. This is very much the whole purpose of the film. It reveals how the ego of these men, who made this event all about themselves despite it being Marguerite that was so deeply wronged, also risked dooming her along with them. Every narrative beat, especially in the third chapter, is excellently constructed to create maximum dread and investment in seeing her somehow escape a nightmarish reality.
Affleck and Damon pull double duty by also penning the solid screenplay after not having written together since Good Will Hunting. However, recognition must be given to co-writer Nicole Holofcener who pulled it all together. Holofcener wrote the outstanding Can You Ever Forgive Me? from 2018 and brings the same commitment to the character of Marguerite. It was Holofcener who wrote the film’s strongest and most crucial third act without which it would have all fallen apart. It is this illuminating final chapter that challenges and expands what the film has to offer, proving to be more than what initially meets the eye. It brings the scope, which remains vast in the expansive settings, down to a grounded and meaningful place for its characters. It serves as a fitting twist of the knife.
Most centrally, The Last Duel is in conversation with and a subtle unraveling of the stories we tell ourselves through history. How did it come to be that Marguerite came to be a passive observer in her own story while the monstrous men around her claimed it for their own? Damon and Driver give truly humbling performances by showing the fragility of the respective egos of each man. Driver’s descent as the initially charming Le Gris who becomes an all too real monster hits home. When he plays alongside Affleck, the two complement the other’s cruelty and uncaring demeanor expertly. Affleck in particular plays a maniacal megalomaniac that knows he can get away with whatever he wants to. As the one with all the power, he remains untouchable.
That is most centrally what the film is about: power. Even when the reality of what is actually true is revealed, the power to determine whether that matters is paramount. Nothing is more demoralizing than having to face the most dire of consequences simply for trying to prove what you know without a doubt to be true. It reveals how often the only currency that matters in the world is violence and the means to inflict it on others. With The Last Duel, Ridley Scott strips away the lies we tell ourselves about decency and lays bare the hard truths about who we really are.
The Last Duel is in theaters on October 15.