The Last Duel: Affleck, Damon, Driver… On Horseback?
August is right around the corner which means it’s time to strap in for what is going to be an absolutely stacked slate of new movie releases taking us into 2022. With a ton of iconic franchises garnering much of the hype and attention (Bond, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, MCU, etc.), it might be understandable that a moody period piece from a director who most would consider past his best days would go under the radar and get lost in the shuffle. However, after watching the trailer for Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, I am here to make sure that does not happen.
The most eye-catching aspect in the trailer, which was released earlier this week, is surely the cast. Set in 14th century France, the story will follow the true tale of the last ‘trial by combat’ in French history, which occurred after a woman accused her husband’s squire and best friend of rape. Now, tales of knights and valour and the like are right up Scott’s alley. This is the guy who made Gladiator for crying out loud. But Scott has taken a far less traditional approach to his casting this time around and has gone with movie star best buddies Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as two of the films’ leads.
Now, no one can deny that the two are fantastic actors, but picturing the two Beantown boys from Good Will Hunting playing royals and knights and speaking proper “Queen’s English” in an straight-laced period drama is an odd concept for one to get their head around. As it turns out, it’s even more bizarre on screen, with Damon’s knight, Jean de Carrouges, sporting a billy-goat beard and mullet-style trim, and Affleck’s Count Pierre d’Alençon rocking some unmissable bleach blonde bangs.
All of this is not to suggest that this can’t all work and it come together and make a great movie. If anything, the unorthodox casting has us MORE interested in whether Scott can pull off another masterpiece. Joining them at the top of the bill are two more traditional choices, rising British actress Jodie Comer and Oscar-nominated Adam Driver, who will play the films’ accuser and accused, respectively.
The trailer gives us a taste of the titular duel between Damon and Driver, which kind of combines the intense swordplay of Gladiator with the dark, gloomy, chilling atmosphere of Game of Thrones’ Winterfell. It also offers us a bit of intrigue around Comer’s Marguerite de Carrouges and how her accusation seemingly sends her life into a tailspin.
I should offer a quick disclaimer; given that this one is based on a true story, I would probably recommend not looking to deeply into the backstory unless you’re happy having the film’s ending spoiled for you. The film is right now scheduled for release on 14th October so you’ve only got a few months to hang on until we get project on our big screens. If it wasn’t there already, this slightly strange but utterly intriguing trailer vaults The Last Duel to the top of our most anticipated movies left this year.