Accusations of rape lead to a sword-wielding showdown in The Last Duel, the COVID-delayed 15th Century epic based on a true story, directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, The Martian) and written by Academy Award-winning co-stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Reuniting in their most significant collaboration since Good Will Hunting, the Oscar-winning screenwriters have adapted the true story of Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques LeGris (Adam Driver), a French knight and his beloved squire who come to blows after Jean’s wife Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer, Killing Eve) accuses Jacques of sexually assaulting her, a charge he resolutely denies.
Playing in part as a macho faceoff for the sake of honor, The Last Duel also has a sense of being “A Woman For All Seasons” as Marguerite must stand up for her convictions even while on trial for her life, despite not having committed any crime.
Ben Affleck co-stars in a supporting role as Count Pierre d’Alençon, a noble who is torn between the two men.
When this project was first announced, my initial impulse was one of skepticism, particularly with Damon and Affleck attempting period French accents…which instead have been mutilated into bad British accents.
This first trailer does little to dispel those worries. Damon’s weird mullet doesn’t help matters, either. That aside, it’s a bit hard to buy these Boston bros as medieval Frenchman.
Still, Driver strikes a convincing presence for the period (even as his accent also lacks), and rising star Jodie Comer particularly stands out as the one person who has everything to lose and nothing to gain simply by standing up for the truth.
Co-written by acclaimed indie director Nicole Holofcener (thankfully this movie’s authorship wasn’t entirely mansplained), The Last Duel opens in theaters (with awards season aspirations, no doubt) on October 15, 2021.
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Matt Damon stars as French soldier Jean de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Adam Driver stars as French soldier Jacques LeGris in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Ben Affleck co-stars as French nobleman Count Pierre d’Alençon in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Jodie Comer stars as Marguerite de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s medieval French epic THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Matt Damon stars as French soldier Jean de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Matt Damon stars as French soldier Jean de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Matt Damon stars as French soldier Jean de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Ben Affleck co-stars as French nobleman Count Pierre d’Alençon in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Ben Affleck and Adam Driver co-star in Ridley Scott’s medieval French epic THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Adam Driver stars as French soldier Jacques LeGris in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Matt Damon stars as French soldier Jean de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Matt Damon and Jodie Comer co-star in Ridley Scott’s medieval French epic THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Matt Damon stars as French soldier Jean de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Jodie Comer’s Marguerite de Carrouges is put on trial in Ridley Scott’s medieval French epic THE LAST DUEL (2021)
A duel begins in Ridley Scott’s medieval French epic THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Jodie Comer stars as Marguerite de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s medieval French epic THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Matt Damon and Adam Driver co-star in Ridley Scott’s medieval French epic THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Adam Driver stars as French soldier Jacques LeGris in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Matt Damon stars as French soldier Jean de Carrouges in Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL (2021)
Official movie poster for Ridley Scott’s French epic THE LAST DUEL (2021), done in the style of posters for medieval period films produced in the 1960s.
