The Last Duel

 

In Ridley Scott's gripping adaptation of Eric Jager's The Last Duel, everyone and no one gets what they desire or deserve -- which is probably true of most of life and those living it.

In 1386, the French knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) challenges his former friend and fellow vassal to a vain count (Ben Affleck) to fight to the death because Carrouges' wife, Marguerite, a remarkable Jodie Comer, has accused Jacque Le Gris (Adam Driver) of raping her while she was alone in the Carrouges castle home earlier that year. Jean must avenge his and his wife's honor and so he petitions the king (Alex Lawther) to permit him to duel Le Gris, who denies the charge -- thus letting God decide what is true.

Scott's film relates the events in three chapters, each devoted to one of these three principal character's perspective. Though the particulars in each version vary, the fact that Le Gris entered the home uninvited and forced himself upon Marguerite is not disputed. Both the assault and the aftermath are in keeping with the conventions of the day: women were the property of men -- first their father's then their husband's, if they were to marry -- and men were free to do pretty much as they wished, as long as they did not violate the rights and privileges of other men.

That Carrouges, a brutish, battle-scarred bruiser, is not favored by the count, despite being a fearless warrior, does not help his cause. But the assault on his wife is the latest in grievances he has against Le Gris, who enjoys the count's beneficence because Le Gris is well-educated, handsome and a fellow libertine.

Further complicating matters is Marguerite's not incidental attraction to Le Gris and her growing dissatisfaction for her much-absent husband. That she expressed to a friend liking the cut of Le Gris' untrustworthy jib does not help her case but is not enough to exonerate the accused. The men mount their horses in full chainmail and leave the outcome to the angels.

Scott, an accomplished and celebrated director who has yet to win an Oscar though he's been nominated many times, has created an immersive period epic that feels meticulous in its historical accuracy. it is nonetheless also a compelling comment on contemporary issues that is free of sanctimony and anachronistic sloganeering. It is an intelligent and provocative picture.