---
title: "The Last Duel: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-last-duel/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-last-duel"
critics_score: 62
critics_reviews: 31
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Last Duel (2021): what the critics said

Critics' score 62 from 31 reviews: 15 positive, 10 mixed, 6 negative.

Most critics come down cautiously in favour of The Last Duel. Jodie Comer’s Marguerite is the performance singled out again and again: restrained, intelligent, and the film’s conscience once her own account arrives in the final chapter. Ben Affleck’s sly, corrupt Count Pierre draws a second cluster of praise, and several reviews credit the three-part structure with exposing how the men’s accounts flatter themselves. The brutal closing duel is admired even by some who dislike the rest.

The reservations gather around length and repetition. Many find the structure delays Marguerite’s story too long and makes the rape scene, shown more than once, feel repetitive rather than clarifying; others think the modern relevance is pressed too hard. The spread is wide, from warm festival raves to outright rejection. The New Yorker calls it exploitative, faulting Scott for showing the assault rather than trusting Marguerite’s testimony, and The Guardian finds it overlong and buried under spectacle.

## Sight and Sound

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 November 2021. 

The critic considers the film one of Ridley Scott’s most successful period works, praising its nuanced storytelling on an epic scale. They single out Jodie Comer’s performance as the character who ultimately finds her own voice.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/last-duel-historical-epic-thats-committed-nuanced-storytelling)

## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2021. 

Ebiri finds the film unexpectedly entertaining and sees it as a forceful denunciation of patriarchal power. He especially praises Ben Affleck’s sly, funny performance as the corrupt Count Pierre.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-the-last-duel-with-matt-damon-and-ben-affleck.html)

## IndieWire — Ben Croll

Rating B+. 10 September 2021. Festival review. 

Croll finds the film an intelligent, daring epic, though its shifts in tone and style can feel awkward. He praises Ben Affleck’s performance and the film’s collaborative storytelling, while noting Jodie Comer finally gets room to shine in the last chapter.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-last-duel-review-1234663613/)

## Total Film — James Mottram

Rating 4/5. 10 September 2021. Festival review. 

The review finds the film thought-provoking and dexterous, though its long running time becomes unwieldy. It singles out Jodie Comer as the cast’s standout and the film’s emotional center.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-last-duel-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 77/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2021. 

Chang finds the film an ingenious, darkly funny indictment of patriarchy, though its perspective-shifting structure can make the rape scene feel repetitive. He praises Jodie Comer’s intelligent, empathetic performance, which makes Marguerite the film’s conscience.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-10-13/last-duel-review-matt-damon-adam-driver-jodie-comer)

## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd

Rating B. 12 October 2021. 

Dowd finds the film’s perspective-shifting structure ultimately makes a forceful case against treating the truth as unknowable. He praises its blunt, era-crossing outrage, while noting that Marguerite remains dramatically underdeveloped until the final chapter.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/ridley-scott-offers-his-own-rashomon-with-the-star-stud-1847850421)

## Slant Magazine — Chris Barsanti

Rating 3/4. 10 October 2021. 

The critic finds the film smartly acted and insightfully written, despite repetition and some excessive battle violence. They praise the performances and the screenplay’s layered perspectives, especially how Marguerite’s account exposes the men’s self-serving views.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-last-duel-review-ridley-scott/)

## The i Paper — Christina Newland

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2021. 

Newland finds the film hokey and its #MeToo reading somewhat surface-level, but ultimately thrilling. She praises its compelling final crescendo and its challenge to the macho perspective of historical epics.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/the-last-duel-review-ridley-scott-hokey-medieval-metoo-epic-thrilling-1248456)

## Empire — Dan Jolin

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2021. 

Jolin finds the film’s final perspective compelling, though its three-part structure can test the viewer’s patience. He praises Jodie Comer’s portrayal of Marguerite while faulting the climactic duel for sidelining her.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-last-duel/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2021. 

The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It contains no readable assessment or specific praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/movies/the-last-duel-review.html)

## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2021. Festival review. 

The available page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no specific praise or complaint beyond identifying the film as a medieval epic.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-last-duel-venice-review/5163202.article)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Rating 3/5. 15 October 2021. 

O'Sullivan finds the film handsome and well-researched but says its critique of misogyny never lands effectively. She praises Jodie Comer’s performance, while criticizing the dialogue and uneven accents.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-last-duel-review-move-jodie-comer-ben-affleck-matt-damon-ridley-scott-b960282.html)

## Radio Times — Jayne Nelson

Rating 3/5. 

Nelson finds the film bleak and mostly familiar, but considers its three-perspective structure smart. She singles out the screenplay’s shifting accounts of the same events.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ts9f15/the-last-duel/)

## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen

Rating 3/5. 26 September 2021. 

The review finds the historical epic overly muscular, despite Jodie Comer’s strong performance. It singles out Comer as soaring in her portrayal of a woman repeatedly wronged.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-last-duel-2021)

## Variety — Owen Gleiberman

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2021. Festival review. 

Gleiberman finds the film intriguing but overcooked, with its three-perspective structure eventually draining the story of momentum. He praises Jodie Comer’s calm, fiery screen presence and Ben Affleck’s entertaining performance.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-last-duel-review-matt-damon-adam-driver-ben-affleck-jodie-comer-ridley-scott-1235059966/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney

Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2021. Festival review. 

Rooney finds the film uneven and overlong, though its final act gives the story emotional force. He especially praises Jodie Comer’s nuanced, wrenching performance as Marguerite.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/jodie-comer-and-adam-driver-in-ridley-scotts-the-last-duel-1235011424/)

## Little White Lies — Rafa Sales Ross

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

The critic finds the film a cleverly crafted but ultimately empty extravaganza, with its treatment of rape and gender imbalance undermining its ambitions. The visceral sound and spectacle of the climactic duel are singled out for praise.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/the-last-duel-first-look-review)

## The Guardian — Jonathan Romney

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2021. Festival review. 

Romney finds the film overlong and weighed down by spectacle, ultimately failing to make its central story compelling. He singles out Nicole Holofcener’s section for opening up Marguerite’s perspective and providing the most interesting part of the film.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/10/the-last-duel-review-ridley-scott-ben-affleck-matt-damon-adam-driver)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2021. 

Brody finds the film a failed, exploitative attempt at a #MeToo story. He faults its thin dialogue and criticizes Scott for showing the rape rather than trusting Marguerite’s testimony.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-last-duel-reviewed-ridley-scotts-wannabe-metoo-movie)

## Collider — Rafael Motamayor

Rating A-. 11 September 2021. 

Motamayor praises the film as a nuanced, well-acted epic with grippingly brutal sword fights, while noting its female side characters are underdeveloped. He singles out Jodie Comer’s performance and the shifting perspectives as especially effective, but criticizes the rape scene’s length and emphasis.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/the-last-duel-review-ben-affleck-matt-damon/)

## Paste — Brianna Zigler

Rating 8.8. 15 October 2021. 

Zigler finds the film a compelling, empathetic medieval epic that examines how men’s perspectives shape rape culture. She especially praises its three-part structure for creating a layered narrative and revealing the characters’ conflicting worldviews.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/ridley-scott/the-last-duel-review)

## Den of Geek — Don Kaye

Rating 4/5. 13 October 2021. 

Kaye finds the film gripping and timely, though its three-perspective structure delays the heart of the story. He especially praises Jodie Comer’s quietly powerful performance as Marguerite.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-last-duel-review-ridley-scott-historical-epic/)

## Consequence — Clint Worthington

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 8 October 2021. 

Worthington finds the film an effective, tonally daring indictment of rape culture and male self-delusion, despite some roughness in its early sections. He especially praises Jodie Comer’s restrained, expressive performance as Marguerite.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2021/10/the-last-duel-review/)

## /Film — Marshall Shaffer

Rating 8 out of 10. 11 September 2021. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film a lively, accomplished period drama, though its contemporary gender themes can feel heavy-handed. They especially praise Jodie Comer’s nuanced performance and the film’s shifting perspectives on events.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/601360/the-last-duel-review-prestige-period-filmmaking-stunning-swordfights-and-piercing-performances-venice-2021/)

## The Ringer — Adam Nayman

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2021. 

Nayman finds the film intellectually ambitious and more compelling than failed Oscar bait, with a tragic, unsentimental critique of power and gender. He especially praises Jodie Comer’s character gaining subjectivity and the brutal final duel’s memorable, bitter spectacle.

[Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2021/10/18/movies/the-last-duel-review-matt-damon-ben-affleck-ridley-scott)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2021. Festival review. 

The headline suggests the critic finds the film entertainingly overripe. The accessible page provides no further detail about what the critic praises.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/ridley-scotts-the-last-duel-an-enjoyably-ripe-slab-hokum-venice-review-20210910/)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review finds the film gripping and important, but criticizes its structure for sidelining Marguerite for much of the story. It singles out Jodie Comer’s honest, moving performance as the film’s saving strength.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-last-duel-review-jodie-comer-3070764)

## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

Titmarsh finds plenty to enjoy in Scott’s brisk, visually rich film, but argues it gives its central woman too little voice. She praises the detailed medieval settings and the riveting final duel.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-last-duel-review/)

## Deadline — Stephanie Bunbury

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2021. Festival review. 

Bunbury finds the film handsome and well-intentioned but overly blunt and repetitive, with too little nuance or emotional texture. She praises Scott’s sweeping visuals and spectacular final duel, while finding the historical drama’s modern relevance too heavily emphasized.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2021/09/the-last-duel-movie-review-ridley-scott-matt-damon-adam-driver-jodie-comer-1234830955/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2021. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film an inconsistent, ultimately muddled mystery, though still a valiant effort. Damon’s performance and the cinematography stand out as its strongest elements.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-last-duel-film-review-ridley-scott-matt-damon-adam-driver/)

## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson

Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2021. 

The critic strongly dislikes the film and doubts its quality, finding its storytelling heavy-handed and unconvincing. They particularly fault the repeated assault scenes and the dull visual palette, while also criticizing the duel’s lack of convincing period combat.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-last-duel-2021-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-last-duel.md