The Last Duel: What Fans Are Saying About Matt Damon And Ben Affleck’s New Movie

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Here's how audiences responded to the historical epic.

In the middle of spooky season and a number of blockbuster properties such as Marvel’s Venom and James Bond coming back into the fold, we have The Last Duel, a Ridley Scott movie about a historical duel that happened in medieval times. It’s the first movie since Good Will Hunting to be written by and star both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck together, along with Adam Driver and Jodie Comer playing lead roles. Following the film’s release, let’s see what fans thought of the historical drama. 

The Last Duel is based on the book by Eric Jager and recounts the true story of the last officially recognized judicial duel fought in France back in 1386. The movie is told in three acts: one from the perspective of Matt Damon’s Jean de Carrouges, the second from Adam Driver’s Jacques Le Gris and the last from Jodie Comer’s Marguerite de Carrouges, who tells her husband Jean that Jacques raped her, leading Jean to request the duel.  

Critics have greatly praised the movie, including CinemaBlend’s The Last Duel review, which gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars. When it comes to audiences, there is an overall positive impression of the film. The only problem is the movie is completely flopping at the box office, per last weekend’s box office numbers against Halloween Kills winning the weekend. Let’s get to the talking points fans were talking about over on social media since it came out. 

Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in The Last Duel

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
 

Jodie Comer Unquestionably Stole The Show
 

The most resounding opinion about The Last Duel is how great its female lead, Jodie Comer, is. One might even say she carried the film. Yes, even with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Adam Driver also as major stars in the movie. 

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In the movie, Jodie Comer plays the person at the center of a duel following being raped by Adam Driver’s Jacques Le Gris. The movie slowly builds her arc, with each perspective highlighting her story in a different light. It’s an incredibly nuanced performance that audiences of the movie are taking notice of amidst the movie’s difficult subject matter. 

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When fans left The Last Duel, it was Jodie Comer’s performance that really tied the movie together and drove home its difficult messages that still ring true today despite over 600 years having passed since the historical event. Comer has been best known for her Emmy-nominated role in Killing Eve, but this movie allows the actress to show even more of her acting chops. 

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2021 really is Jodie Comer’s year overall. The actress also starred in this summer’s Free Guy alongside Ryan Reynolds, making for her first two lead Hollywood movie roles ever in the span of a few months. Oh and both roles are completely different from one another. 

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There’s an aura in the air that this movie could even earn Jodie Comer her first Oscar nomination. We’ll have to see, but it’s great to see the talented actress getting some much-deserved praise for her performance. 

Ben Affleck, blonde hair and goatee in The Last Duel

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
 

Fans Really Enjoyed Ben Affleck’s Role Too
 

In contrast to Jodie Comer’s powerhouse dramatic performance, Ben Affleck has a more jovial role as Count Pierre d'Alençon, a playboy in France’s court who orchestrates orgies, all while having bleach-blonde hair and a goatee. Fans really enjoyed Affleck’s performance in The Last Duel. 

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Ben Affleck’s job in The Last Duel seems to be to add some comedic humor to the otherwise dramatic tale. It shouldn’t work, but Affleck takes on the role well and provides loads of memorable moments throughout the film. Some fans are even throwing around the “O” word around his role as well: 

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Ben Affleck isn’t exactly a comedian if we’re being honest here. We would expect the actor to take on a more brooding role in a movie like The Last Duel, especially coming off of Justice League or The Way Back. Perhaps that’s one reason why people are responding to Affleck’s Count as much as they are. He’s finally getting to sit back and have a little bit of fun. One fan called Affleck “hilarious” in the movie: 

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But of course, a Ben Affleck meme had to make its way into the discourse as the movie reaches the end, which we won’t spoil here, but we talk about in detail in The Last Duel ending explained. 

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In addition to the actor’s fun The Last Duel role, Ben Affleck co-wrote the script with Matt Damon and Nicole Holofcener. 

Adam Driver as Jacques in armor in The Last Duel

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
 

The Last Duel Is Being Overlooked By Widespread Audiences
 

Despite all this positive buzz about The Last Duel, the truth of the matter is it’s a $100 million-budgeted film that has only made less than $10 million worldwide as it reaches its first weekend in theaters. It doesn’t look like it’s going to turn a profit despite so many people loving it. A number of fans shared being the only one in their theater actually checking out the film. Here’s one:  

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The issue here is perhaps The Last Duel came out at the wrong time. It’s not exactly the kind of movie you’d expect for mid-October, especially alongside one of the most beloved Halloween icons – Michael Myers and Laurie Strode returned on the same day for Halloween Kills. Also, a medieval film such as this is something that would appeal to an older demographic, but right now older audiences are largely staying at home to stream movies. Audiences who saw it sound bummed it’s not getting the attention it deserves. 

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The movie tells a worthwhile story about rape culture that is important, yet at the same time not exactly the kind of topic everyone is going to want to sit down and watch as soon as it comes out in theaters. The studio took a huge risk spending so much on a movie about a historical event. It’s incredibly rare in the landscape of IPs and franchises. We'll close out with this super hype fan reaction: 

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Overall, a lot of people really enjoyed what The Last Duel had to offer, but the downside is there is sadly  not enough fans of it to begin with. The movie is now playing in theaters. You can check out what other movies are coming up here on CinemaBlend with the 2021 new movie release schedule.