(2021) The Last Duel - Intriguing Story Based on True Events During Medieval Era in France

Two days ago I found out there was a new movie released on Disney+ which caught me by surprise as it was quite new (released in the US in mid October 2021) and if I am not mistaken, did not play in Indonesian theaters. It was interesting for me as I remember reading some good things about the film. So here's more on the movie.

Brief Story Line

Set in medieval time in France, Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon - Ford v Ferrari, Downsizing etc) started to befriend a squire named Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver - Star Wars: The Last Jedi, House of Gucci etc) during the war. Upon their return, both were informed to serve under Count Pierre d'Alençon (Ben Affleck - Live By Night, Argo etc) by King Charles VI (Alex Lawther - The End of the F***king World TV series etc). While Jean was a brute person, Le Gris was much more educated and managed to gain the trust from Count Pierre, which made their friendship grew apart.

Jean later wed Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer - Free Guy etc) and acquired some estates which helped him increase his status. However, when Le Gris met with Marguerite, he was infatuated and could not hold his desire towards her. 

So how would the story conclude? You can find them all in this epic historical story based on true events.

End of Brief Story Line

It's funny how I did not know what to expect of this movie. I only saw that it was set during the Medieval period which usually translated to many epic wars. And the first few minutes certainly set the mood nicely. Then the story was split into 3 chapters to show what happened according to the point of view of the 3 main characters, namely Jean, Jacques and Marguerite. The first chapter of Jean was interesting in early stage with few wars/action scenes. However, the story seemed to be a bit jumping here and there, till the end of that chapter which was the highlight of the story.

What I liked about this kind of movie was when an event was shown from different perspective which made us really intrigued of what really happened. It was fun looking at the distinction from the characters point of view. Btw, the story was based on the book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France written by Eric Jager with real characters and events. I think that was why it felt interesting for me too on how it would end (it's a good thing I never read about it so I could experience the thrill of not knowing the ending).

After the whole three chapters were completed, the final moment was truly exciting. I thought the way the story told was great as it really built up the tension to set up an amazing finale. And the climax scene was extremely good, with total suspense and intensity. The duel scene was well crafted and in this part, I thought the director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, All the Money in the World etc) did an amazing job. Oh, the 3 main cast were equally wonderful. They were all brilliant in their roles. Another cast that I was a bit in awe was Ben Affleck who managed to portray a totally irritating character (plus I think the make up department was good in giving him an annoying appearance).

The costume department and the production team also did an excellent job. The medieval setting was fantastic with some well executed violent war scenes (though it was a bit scarce, but understandable as the main story was not on the war but the story of the Duel itself). In addition to the violence, there was actually some sex & nude scenes (which was blurred in this streaming platform). These attributes resulted to the movie categorized for 20+ by Disney+ and if you are uncomfortable with them, then it might be a bit disturbing watching the violent scenes.

Overall this was an intriguing movie. I quite like the story telling, even if felt like a bit jumping in the early part of the first chapter, but subsequently I got used to it and felt it was the correct method as it focused on important stuff only. Obviously the different perspectives from 3 point of views were a great plus. It also has an amazing finale that was satisfying. One thing though, I felt the duration was a bit too long. It was having 153 minutes including closing credits (which did not have any mid or post end credit scenes). Too bad the movie did not perform well in the box office area, although it was critically acclaimed. So if you are looking for a movie based on true events set in Medieval era France with engaging characters and interesting story telling, then you should not miss this one. It is easily accessible on Disney+ (albeit the censored version). 

Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars