The Last Duel

By: Jamie Steinberg

Of course, Ridley Scott helms the Medieval revenge saga The Last Duel as he is known for his affinity for tough women and women who don’t fit into societal norms. The movie is based on the true story of a lady, a knight and a squire in 14^th-centry France that is anything but a love tale. Matt Damon and pal Ben Affleck team up for this movie to put the Arthurian-style romance on its back and instead prevail with a

Damon stars as Jean de Carrouges who is a nobleman that fights on behalf of the king in order to make ends meet. His stars turn when De Courrages marries a younger woman, Marguerite (the incomparable Jodie Comer), but his mood remains sour as he seethes over pal turned adversary Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) who has aligned himself with power hungry Count Pierre (Affleck). Sure, Jean marries Marguerite looking to boost his prestige; however, he must still tread off to war in order to gain wealth. It is then that Marguerite accuses Le Gris of rape and trial by combat is invoked.

Scott excels in ridding the expected tropes of dragons, bad British accents and courtly love and instead serves a terrific tale of debts, grudges, liaisons and fights. Additionally, the script is a standout as it is pretty darn solid and holds close to the nonfiction page-turner it is based on – Eric Jager’s The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal and Trial by Combat. Should the husband win it proves the truth of his claim. However, if the husband dies or yields then he is guilty of a lie. Therefore, if he survives then he will be hanged and his wife burned alive. So, yeah, rape was a crime back then, but it was more of a crime against the male guardian rather than the victim.

The movie also prevails in offering the he said, he said and she said versions of the events. Typically, a film taking place during this time would showcase the rape as a plot device and simply a product of its time. In sharing Marguerite’s point of , we see a shift and we explore how she sees her husband and the assault. Where The Last Duel drops is that, while feminist in intent, the narrative Marguerite offers doesn’t show a glimpse into who she is as a person – outside of this trauma.

The Last Duel is an excellent typical Ridley Scott film where certain amounts of storyline are resolved while putting power on display. However, those looking for a happy ending will find themselves fallen as few come out looking good. None the less, viewers will sympathize with Marguerite – despite how blurry history remembers her. The Last Duel is a tale of vengeance and an impressive one at that.