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There are two Ridley Scotts.
Theres Ridley the Visionary and then theres Ridley the Populist.
You never know if youll leave the theater enthralled, excited, bored, or utterly perplexed.
Which brings us to Scotts latest effort, the medieval dramaThe Last Duel.
But somehow it turns out to be Scotts most entertaining movie in decades.
Is that even allowed when the subject matter is so disturbing?
An irate Jean takes the complaint all the way to King Charles (Alex Lawther).
What does shift is the emotional valence of the scenes.
To her, hes a crude storm she must do everything to weather.
What were watching isnt a deconstruction.
Its a denunciation, a damnation, and just about all the men are going down.
(And why the hell shouldnt it?
Were the ones watching, after all.)
Affleck isnt just showing off here.
His imperious performance is a sly messenger for the films moral vision, both hilarious and choke-on-your-laughs tragic.
All this could easily have resulted in a slog.
Movies that repeat multiple scenes from different perspectives can become tedious really quickly.
And in truth, Scott hasnt always been the most confident of storytellers.
Even as it pretends to add complexity and context, it simplifies and focuses.
