7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
King Charles VI declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges settle his dispute with his squire by challenging him to a duel.
Starring: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Harriet Walter, Ben AffleckHistory | 100% |
Drama | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
OK, I'll admit it: I love Kingdom of Heaven. I loved it when I saw it theatrically, I loved it when the (so-called) Director's Cut was released on Blu-ray in 2006, and I loved it again in 2014 when the Ultimate Edition (which was indeed a Director's Cut with a lot of added footage) was released on Blu-ray and I wrote a rather laudatory Kingdom of Heaven Blu-ray review of that version. All of that may have made me more predisposed than the average audience member to be primed to enjoy The Last Duel, a film which in at least some ways feels like Ridley Scott returning to particular nooks and crannies of medieval French life. The Last Duel is, again like Kingdom of Heaven, reportedly culled from actual history, albeit this time in the 14th rather than the 12th century. The screenplay, co-written by co-stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, was itself culled from a historical novel by Eric Jager, which recounted the back story behind what is generally regarded as the last official "judicial duel" held in France. The film, while offering a perhaps slightly smarmy tale of alleged rape, has a structural conceit which is obviously going to be reminiscent of Rashomon, with three "chapters" delineating the perspectives of the story's three focal characters, Sir Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) and Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer).
The Last Duel is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Pictures and Disney / Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The closing credits list Arri Alexas (with Panavision lenses), and the IMDb touts a 4K DI. While there is some occasional murkiness that I've often noticed with films captured with Alexa cameras, especially in some of the scenes that are almost dripping in yellows, this is by and large a really fantastic looking transfer that preserves generally excellent levels of detail even despite some pretty aggressive grading and lighting regimens which have been employed. Scott tends to love ice blue tones, as was evidenced repeatedly in Kingdom of Heaven, and which turn up again in abundance here. In fact a lot of the film tends to ping pong between yellows and blues, but that perhaps makes some of the more natural looking scenes (including a number of gorgeous outdoor moments) really pop impressively, if only by comparison. There's a cool wintry feeling to a lot of the presentation, though, with tones like slate grays being featured prominently. Detail levels on practical items like costumes fabrics and props are typically very precise.
I'm cheating just ever so slightly with regard to this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, since I'm leaving "room" for a just slightly higher (in more ways than one) score for the 4K UHD disc's Dolby Atmos track, but for those not equipped to handle Atmos, I really can't imagine many audiophiles not being pleased with the immersive aspects of this track. There are a glut of well placed effects throughout the film, though it should be noted that this really isn't a battle-centric historical epic, and in fact tends to play out more like a medieval soap opera at times. As such, while the big set pieces like the actual duel (which shows up more than once courtesy of the film's structure), or a defining battle that is seen in opening moments of the first two chapters, do deliver some impressive LFE and really nicely articulated surround effects. Harry Gregson-Williams also delivers another beautiful score which wafts appealingly through the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
I'm frankly not sure if the whole Rashomon approach was strictly necessary with this piece, though I'm assuming it may have been part and parcel of the original book, which I have admittedly not read. That structural concern aside, and also letting slide the fact that this is another very long movie from Ridley Scott, The Last Duel features a compelling (if disturbing) story, good performances, and Scott's typical attention to aspects like production design, cinematography and scoring. Technical merits are solid, and The Last Duel comes Recommended.
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