The Last Duel

The first of two Ridley Scott Oscar-baiting contenders for the year, The Last Duel was a medieval soap about the nature of truth told in three parts, each from one of the protagonist's point of view, a device commonly - and more effectively - seen on television. Once translated to the big screen, the repetitive nature seldom elicited new insights and thus explained the 153 minutes run time.

The film was also keen to highlight its feminist leanings, but other than including Nicole Holofcener as a co-writer (to star screenwriters Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) who supposedly did the most work on Jodie Comer's section, it was surprisingly light on pushing the female voice and POV. And really, did we need to keep showing the rape, albeit with slight differences. Were there no other ways to depict the differences without showing the act itself?

That is what you get when you have an old, white, cis male trying to tell a story, mainly written by two white, cis (alpha) males of two men fighting each other over the supposed truth as laid out by the female. 

Even though there are three people involved in the truth/lie paradigm, the weightage was heavily disproportionate to the men. This was even more egregious when the Scott himself clearly stated in the film which version was the truth. The only silver linings were that Comer's scenes, again likely written mostly by Holofcener, had the best lines and most succinct commentary of a woman's status in medieval times.

That being said, Scott's directing was still at fine form. The film moved along mostly at a clipped pace except for certain repeated scenes, and the opening prologue and the finale climatic fight sequence were masterclasses in tension and excitement. In particular the latter, it was a nail-biting, edge of your seat, fight to the end with no clear distinction which side will win until the final moment. The music by Harry Gregson-Williams definitely helped things along. 

Scott and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski created a dreary - why was it mostly always wintry? - visual scape of medieval France that was beautiful in its desolation and sumptuous in its production design and recreation. As were the costume design and hair and makeup team. The technical details and under-the-line production were stellar.

One last surprise, was that Affleck was the best actor of the film. He was a scoundrel that the audience would loved to hate, and he absolutely relished in it. Possibly one of his finest performances ever.

Damon turned in a fine performance as a stoic knight who really was more in love with himself and more concerned of how he was viewed by others than being a husband. He was the personification of the privileged male ignorant to his own privileges and microagressions.

Adam Driver, next to be seen in another Scott vehicle The House of Gucci, made for a good villain with his smarmy good looks. However, his villainy seemed perfunctory and not deeply explored enough.

Comer is the most likely of the three leads to have a chance to score any sort of acting nominations. Although she was a co-lead, it would not be surprising if they opt to put her up for supporting actress. Nonetheless, Comer continued to showcase her talents in a decidedly non-flashy performance. More restrained and more nuanced than her male co-stars, Comer managed to both elicit sympathy and suspicion in a role that asked for both till the truth was known.

The Last Duel may sneak in a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar just by virtue of its star screenwriters, It may also land some under-the-line nominations, but Best Actor/Actress, Director and Picture might be a very long shot.