Excellent but underrated film

Crappy film

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I have watched this film so many times I know the dialogue off by heart. It is, in my opinion, the best film ever made. Everything about it is "just so", some things by design and some through serendipity such as when the two horses kiss just at the moment General d'Hubert gets down on one knee to popose to his lover.

That Ridley Scott, director of Alien and Blade Runner, is a human being that's being bestowed with an unnatural and sweet talent for telling stories is quite obvious. Yet, with The Duelists he pulls off something out of the ordinary, a film that one hesitates to say what genre it belongs to.You'd think, Mr reader, that as the movie is about the duels between two soldiers of the Napoleon Army, The Duelists would be an epic tale...but no. There's more to it than that. What Ridley Scott gives us with this undeniable masterpiece of duels, honor, combats that span through decades is a drama as well, thereby drawing our attention away from the war. By doing it, a subtle shift takes places since we get to assess the contractions of the soldiers, lives which are seeking for meaning, their lies.Having watched the Duelists more many times than I should, I just wonder why is Mr Scott so interested in going back to the Alien Franchise, when he is so skilled a director that should be able to create some evocative works of art like The Duelists.

Ridley Scott is an incredibly talented filmmaker. It's just a shame that one of his best works is virtually unknown to this day. Scott started his career with three punches in a row - The Duellists, Alien & Blade Runner. Three timeless masterpieces that were remarkably different from each other, an achievement very few directors could pull off (maybe George Lucas comes to mind with his THX-1138, American Graffiti & Star Wars).The Duellists, based on Joseph Conrad's short story, is deceptively simple on the surface. It's basically just a series of (very authentically choreographed) sword duels between two soldiers through 15 years during the Napoleonic era, with sparse dialogue. But this simplicity gives incredible focus to the film (as for the themes of obsession and honour), and the faithfulness with which the period is recreated with its numerous changes in fashion and hairstyle is mind-blowing. (That aspect is truly an eye-opener when you see the movie for the first time.) The two leads, Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine, give equally strong performances, and the cinematography, very much reminiscent of Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (in a way, a sister movie to The Duellists), is beautiful.An impeccably directed, unique and spellbinding, must-see movie.

(83%) Could this be the finest shot, most beautiful films ever to be made by a first time feature film maker? Well it's certainly a contender. Scott really went to town making this look and feel like a period novel has come alive on the screen using both fine tiny detail and wide open and very dramatic vistas. The plot deals with both the importance and the absurdity of honour in the early 19th century as the two army officers have an off and on again personal battles rather likened to a romantic comedy. There's enough substance to accompany the stunning visuals, but the film is a touch one note, although the ending is brilliantly powerful and satisfying in a very unique way.