The Duellists Reviews

It’s clear that even back in ‘77 Scott was yearning to make a Napoleon movie - obviously unjustifiable at the time, and even when eventually given the chance to do so, it was a bit of a hot mess… What was feasible was the chance to take the period and make The Duellists, which I actually prefer to Napoleon!

It’s the most petty beef of all time, spanning nearly two decades. Almost a critique of a soldier’s mindset being pushed to a dangerous extreme; too proud, too fixated on this morally questionable ‘code of honour’, regardless of consequence.

The ‘Russia, 1812’ section was my favourite, although I wish the budget or runtime allowed more exploration of their forced partnership. Briefly testing the limits of their ‘hatred’ - the start of something really engaging, but alas they swiftly moved on. Still, I had a really good time with this - far more than I expected to.

Set and costume design are equally top-notch. Fight scenes are tense and thrilling. Music is great and so is cinematography. The final shot is beautiful and it tied up the film neatly. Far from my favourite Ridley Scott film, but for a debut this is most impressive

this movie is the absolute representation of fear

This was a great film. This movie has some of the most historically accurate sword fights in film history. I recommend it for all history buffs. It does have pacing issues though. 9/10