The Last Duel review: Not quite Jodie Comer’s star turn, but a perfectly engrossing slice of historical intrigue

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Cert 18, 152 mins Can you imagine if Matt Damon and Ben Affleck hadn’t enlisted the help of Nicole Holofcener when writing The Last Duel? We’re shown first “the truth according to” knight Jean de Carrouges, the aggrieved party; then Jacques Le Gris, who stands accused of raping Carrouges’s wife Marguerite; and finally Marguerite herself. Can you believe that women were once treated as property, The Last Duel cries, as Comer’s Marguerite sits on the floor like a child, fussing over a small dog while the men discuss her dowry. Can you believe that so little has changed today, it baulks, as Damon and Affleck employ a somewhat ahistorical use of the word “rape” solely to ensure the modern-day parallels remain undeniable It’s only during Marguerite’s chapter, when Holofcener’s contributions fully kick in, that The Last Duel reveals its true intentions.