History YMMV / TheLastDuel

* CommonKnowledge: There are some who believe that the movie's use of three different perspectives intentionally leaves it ambiguous as to whether Marguerite was actually raped and that she can be interpreted as a false accuser. In the film itself, all the narratives clearly present Jacques as guilty; even during Jacques' segment it's made clear that he raped Marguerite (she runs from him, hits him and repeatedly tells him "No") and that his supposed romance with her is delusional, with his POV merely serving to explain why ''he'' thinks he's 'innocent', while also trying to deconstruct the attitudes towards women and sex that are often used to excuse or downplay rape (i.e. "She said no but I could tell she actually wanted it", "I thought she was playing hard-to-get" etc). The film also heavily implies that Marguerite's account is the most accurate, something both Ridley Scott and Jodie Comer confirmed. It's worth noting that in real life, the rape was described as brutal to the point there was no ambiguity as to whether it was consensual and it got ''toned down'' for the film; other changes the movie made to the historical account potentially contributed to the perception that it was supposed to be ambiguous when this wasn't the intention.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: The movie is a gloomy, slow-paced period piece, but which also foregoes more crowd-pleasing fare such as romance or combat (save the final duel and some brief set-pieces battles in the first half), instead being essentially a historical legal drama.
** For people who read the research the movie was based off of, significant changes made to Jacques Le Gris’s role in events cooled off reception as well. While the film never succumbs to DracoInLeatherPants and clearly portrays him as a rapist, the attempt to “soften” his characterization and crime to make him more sympathetic seems to have caused some minor MisaimedFandom that frustrated both director Ridley Scott and actress Jodie Comer and exacerbated the TooBleakStoppedCaring apathy of some some potential customers; it’s difficult to see what dramatic benefit would come from trying to make the rapist even mildly more sympathetic than he was in history.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some of the changes made to the story from its original historical research book inspiration have the unfortunate effect of actually decreasing some of the legal drama, and perhaps muddying the waters in a damaging way. The historical Marguerite apparently inspired much more support from both her family and the court at large with the strength of her testimony in spite of the risk (since she knew what dangers she faced compared to the film version), one of Le Gris’s key witnesses was challenged to a duel by another of Marguerite’s relatives and then arrested and charged with rape himself, and the historical Le Gris was actually married with children and accused of much more overtly vile behavior; apparently ''his own lawyer'' (the best one in France, at that) thought that he was guilty.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some of the changes made to the story from its original historical research book inspiration have the unfortunate effect of actually decreasing some of the legal drama, and perhaps muddying the waters in a damaging way. The historical Marguerite apparently inspired much more support from both her family and the court at large with the strength of her testimony in spite of the risk (since she knew what dangers she faced compared to the film version), one of Le Gris’s key witnesses was challenged to a duel by another of Marguerite’s relatives and then arrested and charged with rape himself, and the historical Le Gris was actually married with children and accused of much more overtly vile behavior.

* CatharsisFactor: [[spoiler: Jacques' death from being stabbed in the mouth]] is slow, painful, and ''very'' satisfying to the audience.

* WTHCostumingDepartment: Creator/MattDamon's choppy mullet and Creator/BenAffleck's blonde bowl-cut and goatee have drawn their share of confused reactions from viewers, although this is justified to an extent in-universe--[[https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/ben-affleck-matt-damon-defend-last-duel-bad-hair-1234664647/ this article]] states that Creator/RidleyScott imagined that Jean de Carrouges had cut his hair himself so that it'd fit under a helmet, without caring for how it looked, and that Count Pierre's look was intended to be a fashionable status symbol at the time.

* UnfortunateImplications: Multiple critics [[https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-last-duel-2021 have]] [[https://www.avclub.com/ridley-scott-offers-his-own-rashomon-with-the-star-stud-1847850421 called out]] that despite attempting to address misogyny, sexual harassment, and toxic masculinity, the film ultimately treats Marguerite as little more than a victim, denying her agency or dimension compared to the male characters of the plot. Given the charged subject matter, [[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-last-duel-reviewed-ridley-scotts-wannabe-metoo-movie other critics]] have also stated the film lingers too much on exploitative elements of Marguerite's story, and the casting of Creator/MattDamon and Creator/BenAffleck, whom were associated with notorious sexual predator [[Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany Harvey Weinstein]], ultimately undermines the themes of the film.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: As noted elsewhere on this page, the movie is a gloomy, slow-paced period piece, but which also foregoes more crowd-pleasing fare such as romance or combat (save the final duel and some brief set-pieces battles in the first half), instead being essentially a historical legal drama.

* SpiritualSuccessor:
** To ''Film/{{Gladiator}}''. Both are PeriodPiece movies directed by Creator/RidleyScott featuring scenes of graphic violence, and both end with two main characters fighting a DuelToTheDeath in front of a large audience.
** It could also be seen as one to ''another'' PeriodPiece and Scott's debut film, ''Film/TheDuellists''. Both ''The Last Duel'' and ''The Duellists'' cover a narrative centered on an ongoing feud between two men, spanning several years, while also going to great lengths to capture the historical settings and intricacies of the titular duel (or ''duels'' in the latter's case) in exceptional detail. Both were also filmed in the [[UsefulNotes/DepartementalIssues French department of Dordogne]], which is exceptionally well suited for period pieces set in either TheMiddleAges or TheCavalierYears with all its preserved castles, medieval towns and forests.
** To ''Film/RobRoy'', another period piece ending with a TrialByCombat between a man who thinks through HonorBeforeReason and a cultured and depraved man who raped the other's wife and is protected by his liege lord.

* AwardSnub: The film was significantly praised, but didn't get any UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination in 2022. Jodie Comer was especially seen as snubbed as her performance was seen as one of the best of the season.
** Lampshaded brutally when, as part of a "consolation gifts" gag during the awards ceremony, Creator/ReginaHall offered "the screener for a never-before-seen film, not even by the director," which then turned out to be this film. Though that would be overshadowed by the mention of [[Film/GIJane another Ridley Scott motion picture in that same ceremony...]]

** Lampshaded brutally when, as part of a "consolation gifts" gag during the awards ceremony, Creator/ReginaHall offered "the screener for a never-before-seen film, not even by the director," which then turned out to be this film.

* AwardSnub: The film was significantly praised, but didn't get any UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination in 2022.

** The rape in question is portrayed as extremely brutal with Marguerite fleeing in terrified panic from Jacques, trying desperately to stop him, screaming "No!" repeatedly and clearly in pain the whole time.

** If Jean loses the duel against Jaques, Marguerite will be tortured and burned alive.

* UnfortunateImplications: Multiple critics [[https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-last-duel-2021 have]] [[https://www.avclub.com/ridley-scott-offers-his-own-rashomon-with-the-star-stud-1847850421 called out]] that despite attempting to address misogyny, sexual harassment, and toxic masculinity, the film ultimately treats Marguerite as little more than a victim, denying her agency or dimension compared to the male characters of the plot.