Director Ridley Scott (Alien) once again jumps into the medieval era in The Last Duel. But the weaknesses in the script by Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said), with help from lead actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, draw too much attention away from an otherwise solid production.
Squire Jean de Carrouges and his friend Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) are both in service to King Charles VI (Alex Lawther) and under the direct command of Pierre d'Alençon (Ben Affleck). But while Jacques is favored, Jean always manages to stay on Pierre's bad side. The result of this is Jean losing station at court. Determined to turn both his finances and position around, Jean remarries, this time to Marguerite (Jodie Comer), the daughter of a local land baron. Unfortunately, his fortunes continue to dip. Returning from a campaign in Scotland elevated to knighthood, Jean goes to Paris to collect his wages, leaving Marguerite home. When he arrives home, Marguerite accuses Jacques of rape. Jean, Knowing Pierre will side with Jacques, is determined to get justice. Hence, he asks the king to intercede and allow God to show who is telling the truth in trial by combat to the death. If he wins, Jacques will be proven false, but if he loses, Marguerite will be burned at the stake for her now false accusation of rape.
The script is interesting, divided into four parts - the story from Jean's point of view, the story from Jacques' point of view, the story from Marguerite's point of view, and finally, the actual duel. This could have worked beautifully and does for the first section, but it falters in Jacques' portion. Audiences will wonder why, if Jacques truly believes himself innocent, he would have such a dim self-view. This continues into Marguerite's view, although not as strongly. By the time the duel comes around, there is a general feeling of just wanting it to be over. While the scriptwriters needed to fill in missing details from the actual event, it feels like they try too hard and at times have an agenda that they don't manage to convey organically.
Despite the script issues, there is redemption in the performances Ridley Scott achieves from all four leads. Damon is convincing as a hotheaded man of honor who truly feels wronged at every turn. His frustration is palpable and carries through the performance. Driver manages to smoothly play three versions of his character for each section without faltering between them. Comer again proves that she is a versatile actress with a bright future, playing Marguerite convincingly, especially in the tale from her character's viewpoint. Finally, Affleck's Pierre is just fun to watch, stealing every scene as the dismissive, salacious noble.
Equal to the actors' performances are the details of both costume and setting. The craftsmen pay careful attention to even the most minute detail of both. Audiences can almost sense the crumbling buildings about to fall and smell the food in lavish feast scenes. Additionally, the meticulously constructed costumes make each class, from beggar to king, instantly distinguishable.
The Last Duel is a grand film that suffers under the weight of its script. While the directing, acting, costumes, and settings are top-class, the screenplay adds a pall to the overall success. By the end, the general feeling is having participated in a trial by combat that nobody - including the audience - wins.