The Duellists proved Ridley Scott to be a great director right from the start. The technical elements of the film are immaculate, and it is quite simply a stunning film to look at. The film goes past that with a great story. I always love the ability to find the intimate with the grand and here we have that of two men's rivalry, which starts over almost nothing, all around Napoleon's attempt to conquer Europe. Every duel is memorable in its own right, yet I love the certain darkly comic undercurrent behind the whole idea of how two proper men try to kill each other. This is flawlessly intertwined through each of the men's personal lives which change and grow as they keep needing to fend off the other. The casting might seem atypical with Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel in the roles of Frenchmen, yet both excel. It's a downright brilliant film.
5/5
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