On its mud and blood surface, The Last Duel sounds like a familiar slogan.
The film, directed by Ridley Scott, begins with all the expected medieval stuff: gore battlefields, stone castles, a herd of horses. The skies are gray, the terrain is muddy and, the film is considered by the director of Robin Hood, Gladiator and the Other Brave. Masculine historical epic, you think you know what’s in store.
But the Last Duel” may be one of the only films where the director is like McGuffin himself. The film, written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener, isn’t the first to appear as a tale of manly heroism. The Last Duel is one More like a medieval story, which has been shredded piecemeal, until exposed to its heavily armored male characters and the mythology of the genre.
The film, designed like Rashomon, “is told in three chapters repeated from different perspectives. The first, which deals with Jean de Carrouge (Damon), may have once been the only version of The Last Duel. The 14th In century France, de Carrouge is a loyal and brave soldier for King Charles VI (a childish ruler played by Alex Lothar) who marries a nobleman’s daughter, Marguerite (Jodie Comer). A dowry, including a beautiful parcel, is agreed upon, taken instead by a debt collection by Count Pierre d’Alénon (Affleck). She in turn prizes the land to Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), friend and fellow warrior of de Carrogues. This enrages de Carrouges. This begins a rift between de Carrouges and Le Gris, along with the Count, who strongly supports Le Gris. De Carrouges considers himself a good and brave man. He is mistreated by his superiors. When he returns from a trip, his wife informs him that he has been raped by Le Gris. had gone. He was away. De Carouz vows to bring him to justice.
Some even have hints in this straight first section that aren’t quite lining up. First of all, they are haircuts. Damon sports a mullet and half-built beard that hardly looks fashionable in any century, while Affleck has trimmed blond locks that would be better suited for a boy band. That they look a bit silly may be intentional.
The second volume replays the same time period according to Le Gris, and The Last Duel becomes more interesting. Here, we see de Carouz as a brash soldier, a victim complainer and, well, no fun. Le Gris and the Count (Affleck in Campy Splendor) roll their eyes and watch the women drink and spend late nights in bed. As for Le Gris, his work with Marguerite is bold and rough but inspired by love, and perhaps mutual longing though certainly not consensual.
Damon and Affleck, who last wrote the script for their breakout together, Good Will Hunting,” have stated that they wrote the first two volumes, and the third, Marguerite’s account, of Enough Sad and Lovely and Amazing filmmaker Holofsner. The film, adapted from Eric Jaegers’ 2004 non-fiction book about true history, is naturally building on this definitive account.
But it’s not just the conclusion of the he said-she said play. The third volume is a completely different perspective on the Middle Ages, as is commonly seen in film. Comer takes control of the film as it depicts Marguerite’s experience in a business transaction, the pressure to give birth to an heir (something that can only happen, she has been told, if she has sex with her husband). enjoys me) and her boyfriend manage the palace while de Carouz is away.
Here, The Last Duel seems not so long ago at all. The film’s many dialectical perspectives resonate with the sly self-consciously of today’s #MeToo struggles. It’s tempting to think that The Last Duel should have just been Marguerite’s account, but so much of the movie enjoys watching Damon, Affleck, and Driver each play a type of man slowly perishing. and even diminishes his own attractiveness.
“The Last Duel, released in 20th Century Studios, has been given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America for sexual harassment, sexual content, some graphic nudity, and strong violence, including language. Running time: 152 minutes. Four in. From three stars.
___
Follow AP Film writer Jake Coyle on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire.