{"id":962897,"date":"2026-05-16T02:58:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/962897\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T02:58:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:58:21","slug":"phenomenal-period-war-drama-better-than-gladiator-is-a-masterpiece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/962897\/","title":{"rendered":"Phenomenal period war drama ‘better than Gladiator’ is a ‘masterpiece’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The epic period war drama has enthralled critics and audiences world-over, earning glowing praise from all quarters, with viewers comparing it to the brilliance of Gladiator.\"Ben<\/p>\n

The epic war drama is streaming on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video(Image: Jessica Forde)<\/p>\n

Fans of iconic filmmaker Ridley Scott and his cult classic Gladiator are in for a treat, because there\u2019s another film by the director that viewers feel is giving his OG period war masterpiece<\/a> a run for its money. With a screenplay penned by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Nicole Holofcener, the 2021 epic historical war drama<\/a> has enthralled critics and audiences world-over, earning glowing praise from all quarters \u2014 and it\u2019s streaming on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.<\/p>\n

Viewers can\u2019t stop raving about<\/a> Scott\u2019s 2021 film, The Last Duel, which stars Jodie Comer ( Killing Eve<\/a> ) in the titular role, alongside Adam Driver and Damon. Affleck also has a supporting role in the movie, and the stars are joined by Harriet Walter, Alex Lawther, and Serena Kennedy to round out a stellar supporting cast.<\/p>\n

\"Jodie<\/p>\n

Jodie Comer plays the titular character in the film and has earned rave reviews for her performance(Image: 20th Century Studios)<\/p>\n

Filmed in France and Ireland, Scott\u2019s epic period drama is one that most people haven\u2019t heard of, owing to its release during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2021.<\/p>\n

Based on true events, the film\u2019s official plot summary states: \u201cJean de Carrouges is a respected knight known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield. Jacques Le Gris is a Norman squire whose intelligence and eloquence make him one of the most admired nobles in court. The two knights must fight to the death after Carrouges\u2019s wife, Marguerite, accuses Le Gris of assault. The ensuing trial by combat, a gruelling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God’s hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garnering largely positive reviews from both critics and audiences, The Last Duel has made its mark, especially when it comes to the period war drama genre.<\/p>\n

One critic said of the film: \u201cA brutal, harrowing, intriguing, stunningly well-made film that will linger in your thoughts for quite some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

While another reviewer lavished praise on the director: \u201cRidley Scott delivers one of his best works in years with this brutal, righteous, superbly acted historical drama.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Adam<\/p>\n

The epic period war drama has been directed by Ridley Scott(Image: \u00a9 2021 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.)<\/p>\n

A third critic said of the historical epic: \u201cWith the stakes set so high, Scott rises to the challenge and delivers a brutal, visceral ‘last duel’ with complex narrative designs and a phenomenal carousel of performances.\u201d<\/p>\n

While one reviewer simply declared: \u201cTrust us when we say this is a cinematic epic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audience reviews follow in a similar vein, with one fan saying: \u201cA classic Ridley Scott’s work. A masterpiece.\u201d<\/p>\n

While another viewer writes: \u201cBrilliant historic epic, beautifully filmed and captivating characters. If you like historical dramas, this is a great film for you\u201d<\/p>\n

A glowing IMDB user review of The Last Duel states: \u201cRidley Scott is the Master of this Genre for a reason. Best director you can find for this kind of visual storytelling is Ridley Scott, and believe me, he’s still top of his game. To be honest, I don’t think that Gladiator was a best picture because of Ridley’s effort, I think it was Russel’s incredible performance. But this movie shines because of Ridley’s awesome visual style.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Matt<\/p>\n

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have co-written the screenplay(Image: 20th Century Studios)<\/p>\n

While another impressed audience member commented: \u201c[Ridley] Scott certainly gives us a big, bloody and savage movie. Indeed of all his films, this could be the one most likely to appeal to fans of \u2018Gladiator\u2019. It’s a fantastic-looking film. There is so much about \u2018The Last Duel\u2019 that is smart, funny and totally unexpected that it just might turn out to be the most unlikely multiplex movie of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another IMDB review of the period drama (and Ridley Scott\u2019s brilliance) states: \u201cThis is, I think it could be argued, in the absolute top tier of Ridley Scott’s filmmaking oeuvre. More than that \u2014 and this might be more controversial, but I stand by it \u2014 I think it’s his best film, and that it isn’t close.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a Rashomon-style multiple-viewpoints epic with lavish production values, superb acting across the board from a powerhouse cast, and supremely subtle and skilful directing. It is thoughtful, impactful cinema that should be part of the conversation about the best outings in historical filmmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Last Duel is available to stream on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The epic period war drama has enthralled critics and audiences world-over, earning glowing praise from all quarters, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":962898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3935],"tags":[110989,13534,823,77,26670,21681,10267,3943,4095,17141,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-962897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-adam-driver","9":"tag-ben-affleck","10":"tag-disney","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-films","13":"tag-jodie-comer","14":"tag-matt-damon","15":"tag-movies","16":"tag-prime-video","17":"tag-ridley-scott","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116582017511883647","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/962897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=962897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/962897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/962898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=962897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=962897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=962897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}