Rape is a tricky subject. It is rightly considered one of the most heinous crimes, but our legal system struggles with it because it involves activity that can be perfectly legal between consenting adults. We seem to vacillate between the goals of treating victims with respect and belief on the one hand, and respecting due process for the accused on the other. We get it wrong a lot, and “The Last Duel” makes it clear that this is not a new phenomenon.
Matt Damon plays French knight Jean de Carrouges. While he is away from home, his wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer), is raped by his former friend, Jacques le Gris. At least, that's what she says. Jacques contends it was a consensual affair, and since he has powerful friends, Marguerite finds herself disbelieved, her charge dismissed. Seeing that he will get no satisfaction from the traditional courts, Jean demands a trial by combat.
“The Last Duel” is mis-promoted as being about the last legal duel in France. It was certainly not the last duel, not even the last legal duel. It may have been the last judicial duel, in which a fight to the death determines the outcome of a trial. It's an important distinction in this story, because, if Jean loses, Jacques will be considered to have been acquitted, and Lady Marguerite will be burned at the stake for bearing false witness. High stakes, indeed!
The movie is based on true events, but they happened in 1386, so writers Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Nicole Holofcener had to use artistic license to fill in quite a few blanks. There are many details that now are not and cannot be known, including whether or not Le Gris was actually guilty. The writers approach this conundrum by breaking the film into 3 parts, each one relating the events according to one of the main characters. It's fascinating to see how their stories differ in small details, such as which man was first to reach out for a handshake, and how these small details shape each character's perception of himself. All three paint themselves as the hero or the victim, never as the villain, a reminder of what unreliable narrators of our own story we are.
More than anything, the tale is about sexual ignorance and as chauvinism masquerading as chivalry. We are reminded that, under French law at that time, the victim of any rape that occurred was not the woman, but her husband, whose property had been violated, which is still the case in many parts of the world. Marguerite faces ostracism and possible death for reporting her rape, just as women in India and the Middle East often face today. She also faces disbelief based on the fact that she may have been impregnated by Le Gris. Her judges assert that a woman can only become pregnant if she experiences pleasure. This was considered established science at the time, and it would be laughable if we did not, in the 21st century, have leaders like Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, who explained his opposition to abortion in cases of rape this way: “If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
“The Last Duel” is about all these things, but is also, after all, about a duel, and when the duel comes, it is riveting action. Le Gris and Carrouges go at each other with lances, swords, daggers, and fists, and it is a brutal, realistic sequence that had my heart pounding! $8 gets you the whole seat, but you'll only need the edge!
4 stars out of 5
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