There is no shame of being film number 32 on my must watch list for the year. no shame at all. Back ion 1 January it was my choice to put The Last Duel ahead of Stillwater on this list, i wanted to see them both equally but there were 31 films i wanted to see more, so it went down to a coin toss. I mean i could have had 33 films on the list, but nah i kept it at 32, as i thought that would be an easy to reach target. So the day has now arrived for The Last Duel, lets see if it was worthy of its place on the list.
getting to the Marina, i may have well swam. I saw sheet lightning out at the wind farms, the wind was blustery & the rain went from meh to biblical in all of 20seconds. It was a very interesting drive. I do like the fact that the water does cascade off the car park roof tho that always looks cool. On my drive when it started being biblical weather, i was a bit like, is it worth this drive… its a film girl of course it is.
When did everyone stop wearing masks??? I got to cineworld in the Foyer & other than members of staff at cineworld i was the only person wearing a mask. What happened peoples???
26 people in the cinema with my for the film. I was expecting a much older audience demographic, like my parents ages ( late 50s, early 60’s) & the two ladies in front of me fitted that, but no one else did. It was all my generation, who have grown up with Damon & Affleck & now adore Driver & Comer for the new generation. Well done peoples.
Trailers The French Dispatch (yes but my cineworld arent showing it got to wait for a local cinema to show it in like 2 weeks time), Last Night In Soho (yes), Spencer (yes) & for the last time ever Dune! Im upset im never going to see that trailer on the big screen again, that makes me sad really sad. But im also super excited that i will be taking my dad to see it on monday ekkkkkk hurray up monday!!!!!!
& then the film started… & its a film that you really want to recommend to people, but youve got to recommend it to the right people. One group as i left said it was the best thing theyd seen all year, One group said it was overly long & self-indulgent & One group just didnt get it. I fall into the its bloody brilliant & delivers category.
I love the fact it was told from all 3 perspective, that was fantastic. Okay by the time we got to the third story (which was the most important of all) we had then seen some scenes 3 times in the film, which i understand would make some people go oh really again, but that was the point you were seeing it from everyones point of view & each perspective was fantastic.
Everyone acted their arses off Driver, Damon & Comer were all fantastic & nailed it & at point you love or hated them all (Driver shouldnt speak Latin all the time, that made me have a moment). You really were invested in all of their stories & your opinion on every character changed with each change of scene or perspective on the story.
Ben Affleck was ok… hes been worse but hes been much much much much better than that. He & Damon wrote it so well. Did he have to die his hair that bleach blonde? It wasnt needed unless we know the guy he was playing had that bad a hair.
It was quite shocking & uncomfortable to watch at points, you really didnt want to watch it, & the grimness it was portraying, but you had to because something might have been important. I mean the fact that the story basically starts twice with about 15 people being beheaded lets you know what we are seeing.
I mean it is a Ridley Scott film after all. You should expect some grim stuff, but where he earnt his money was the Duel at the end. In a 2h50min film the duel only takes 15min (20 at the most) but holy crap do they do a lot of stuff in that duel & shit goes down & you are just sitting there on the edge of your seat trying to breath. It hit every mark.
The court trail & the treatment of women in this film is horrific & as a woman sitting there with so much of this in the public eye at the moment, it was uncomfortable, but as much as we now have a voice & are heard, how much else has actually changed. You sat there & just felt for her so much. I wanted to get up & scream at the screen someone bloody listen to her shes telling the truth you single minded out dated men. ITs the correct film for the current climate at the moment, no matter how uncomfortable it made people feel.
& then when at the end it was all about his glory & not her despite everything that had happened (not a spoiler its real life) was an ultimate dick move but would be one men did do back then & some would even do today, it was about her but it never was & thats the problem with some people in the world right now.
As i said at the top you need to find the right person to recommend this film to, get the wrong one & they wont get it & then question your life views. It is a hard awkward & unsettling watch, however its one that you do need to see the grandness of. Stunning acting throughout & the duel lives up to the hype.