THE LAST DUEL is the new film from acclaimed director Ridley Scott, telling the historical tale of Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, a medieval era story of two men who started as friends and became hard enemies. Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer are the main stars of the film, but you may also notice another familiar face here – that of Ben Affleck, who plays Count Pierre d’Alençon. And it wouldn’t seem right to see Damon and Affleck in a film they didn’t co-write, and both men did apparently work on the screenplay with Nicole Holofcener, based on the book by Eric Jager. Check out the first trailer below and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
The historical epic is a cinematic and thought-provoking drama set in the midst of the Hundred Years War that explores the ubiquitous power of men, the frailty of justice and the strength and courage of one woman willing to stand alone in the service of truth. Based on actual events, the film unravels long-held assumptions about France’s last sanctioned duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, two friends turned bitter rivals. Carrouges is a respected knight known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield. Le Gris is a Norman squire whose intelligence and eloquence make him one of the most admired nobles in court. When Carrouges’ wife, Marguerite, is viciously assaulted by Le Gris, a charge he denies, she refuses to stay silent, stepping forward to accuse her attacker, an act of bravery and defiance that puts her life in jeopardy. The ensuing trial by combat, a grueling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God’s hands.