Ridley Scott is one of the most prominent and influential directors of the modern age. Having made game-changing films in genres like fantasy, science fiction, and action, Scott has cemented himself as a director who demands the attention of audiences each and every time he releases a new film in theaters.
Unfortunately, one of Ridley Scott’s greatest movies of the last twenty-five years was a dud at the box office and has since been generally forgotten by movie fans. 2021’s The Last Duel is secretly one of the finest historical fantasy films of the 21st century, and easily Ridley Scott’s finest outing since Gladiator.
Ridley Scott Has Had A Mixed Career In The 21st Century
Even before his genre-defining 2000 classic Gladiator, Ridley Scott had directed some of the finest genre films of all time, including 1979’s Alien and 1982’s Blade Runner. If he had stopped after only making those two films, he would arguably still go down in cinematic history as one of the most important directors of all time. Instead, he continued to craft some of the boldest and biggest blockbusters of the modern age.
After Gladiator hit theaters and became a cultural phenomenon, Ridley Scott struggled a bit to craft something as compelling or universal. Outings like Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, Matchstick Men, and Kingdom of Heaven are exciting enough, but none had the same level of cultural impact or emotional staying power as the Russel Crowe-led Roman epic. Underrated outings like The Counselor, The Martian, and Alien: Covenant came later, and while they seemed to indicate a return to a more creatively fulfilling, stylistically exciting form for Scott, they still weren’t quite up to snuff.
That all changed when Ridley Scott set aside his aspirations of making more dramas based on real people and real events from the last hundred years and set his sights further back in time. Released in 2021 (the same year as Scott’s drab and boring House of Gucci), the historical fantasy drama The Last Duel finally felt like a return to the Ridley Scott that fans have known and loved for decades. Utterly enthralling from start to finish, and brought to life by incredible performers across the board, The Last Duel is everything that fans have been missing from Scott for years.
The Last Duel Deserves Far More Love From Movie Fans
Though it struggled to make much of a splash at the box office in 2021, The Last Duel did connect with critics, and it received some of the most favorable reviews of Ridley Scott’s recent career. The film’s staggering production design, lush costuming, and truly wonderful narrative structure made it feel unique. The cohesive nature and thematic nuance made it feel as though it was a complete vision (something that Ridley Scott’s prior films have notoriously struggled with).
Centering around three core characters and each of their perspectives on a horrific act of sexual assault and the ensuing fallout, The Last Duel tackles ideas of women’s place in society, violence as a means of justice, and stories being manipulated and misinterpreted. The film is Ridley Scott’s own spin on the classic Akira Kurosawa film Rashomon, in which three individuals give conflicting reports on a crime that was committed. The Last Duel deftly handles showing its audience the same events over and over again, and it never allows viewers to be bored. It’s a feat of editing and pacing, and that is one of the strongest aspects of the film.
Adam Driver and Matt Damon are utterly incredible as the two men who must come to blows in the name of their honor. Jodie Comer, the woman whose agency has been routinely stripped from her and whose assault is in question, is absolutely electric. She grounds the film in ways that make Driver and Damon’s performances even more extraordinary, and the emotional crux of The Last Duel rests on Comer’s shoulders.
It’s a shame that nobody seemed to care that Ridley Scott had finally made another historical fantasy film that was actually great, and though he has since made two more historical epics in the form of Napoleon and Gladiator II, neither was able to capture the subtle nuance or captivating energy of 2021’s The Last Duel.
Release Date
October 15, 2021
Runtime
2h 32m
Director
Ridley Scott
