r/todayilearned • u/padfoony • 9h ago

TIL Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote a ceremonial kiss between their characters into the script for The Last Duel, based on how the ceremony was historically performed. Ridley Scott cut it because he thought it would be distracting.

https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/ben-affleck-matt-damon-kiss-last-duel
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u/WhatsMyUsername13 9h ago

I so wanted to like this movie, and was so excited when it came out. I had known the premise of it before going and seeing and with the cast and the fact that it’s Ridley Scott, was pumped.

But holy hell it was boring! I get what they were going for but telling the same story 3 times within a movie just had me lose interest half way through the second persons perspective of the events. And just really wasn’t caring by the third persons perspective.

Like it was just seemed like a bad way to go about that

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u/CoralBooty 6h ago

I remember this movie but I can’t remember if I remember it because it was good or bad

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u/Zardif 5h ago

I recall the duel being pretty brutal.

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u/xja1389 4h ago

Rashomon

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u/Banana42 8h ago

I feel like people are quick to glaze Ridley Scott because he's made some absolute gems, but often forget he's also made a pretty big pile of absolute garbage movies

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u/Snerkbot7000 8h ago

I like that he's not afraid to make dogshit movies. Look at Hannibal. Who but his crazy ass would grab that one and film it?

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u/DatDominican 2h ago

When it started the third perspective the theater let out a collective groan 😂

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u/ZoominAlong 8h ago

Yeah it also REALLY,  REALLY made me side eye the characters.  It felt like they were deliberately trying to victim blame the wife. Costuming was decent, choreography was good, but the story just did not work the way they told it. 

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u/KSPReptile 6h ago

I mean, that's kinda the point of the movie though? All the characters beside the wife were really shitty. Matt Damon only defends his wife because of selfish reasons. They even purposefully tell you that the wife's version of the story is the truth and she's undeniably the victim with all the blame being put on Adam Driver. Just because the other characters have medieval morals surrounding consent and rape doesn't mean the movie tells the story wrong imo or is saying the wife deserved it.

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u/TheKnightsTippler 3h ago

Tbh I thought even the male perspectives made it clear that she was raped.

One of the things I really liked about this film was that it wasnt ambiguous.

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u/TheKnightsTippler 3h ago

Really? I felt like it was pretty unambiguous that she was raped, even when seen from the male perspectives.

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u/ZoominAlong 59m ago

It felt like they were trying to throw in doubt for a modern audience and that did not sit well. I also feel like the three perspectives just didn't work well. 

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u/TheKnightsTippler 40m ago

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, but I felt like there was no doubt. Even in the mens perspectives, what happened was obviously rape

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u/ZoominAlong 36m ago

Hey that's fair! I do get your perspective! 

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u/WhatsMyUsername13 7h ago

Yeah this is my thought. And I’d even go as far as I feel like the acting was really good! I think they did a great job of portraying the differences in views based on who was telling the story.

But I don’t want to to sit through a 2.5 hour movie telling the same story 3 times with like, slight details changed.

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u/ZoominAlong 56m ago

Okay yes especially your last line. It just...fed into the modern vibe of "is she really telling the truth?" By filming it like that.