Ridley Scott is a living legend of world cinema, whose name is forever inscribed in Hollywood thanks to masterpieces like Gladiator. However, in recent years, he has been going through a difficult creative period.
His historical epic Napoleon, starring the brilliant Joaquin Phoenix, failed to conquer the box office. And the long-awaited sequel to the cult Gladiator, despite recouping its 210 million budget, stopped at a modest 438 million by modern standards. This is a result that clearly does not correspond to the scale of the franchise.
But the tendency towards commercial disappointments has been evident in the director's career for several years now. Back in 2021, viewers ignored his historical drama The Last Duel, which, despite its stellar cast and topical agenda, failed at the box office.
The plot of the film The Last Duel
In medieval France, a feud between two noble men unfolds. Former friends Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris gradually become fierce opponents. And an incident that happened to Carrouges' wife makes them implacable enemies. To defend the honor of the family, the hero turns to the King of France for help. And he makes an unexpected verdict: the truth must be established not in words, but in the nobles' final argument - a deadly duel.
The Last Duel Movie Rental
Ridley Scott brought together a real star cast for The Last Duel: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer and Ben Affleck brought the brutal story to life on screen. The same events were consistently shown through the eyes of each of the main characters. However, the innovative structure of the film, which required special attention from the viewer, combined with a failed marketing campaign doomed the project to commercial failure.
Critics, divided in their opinions, only made the situation worse with their contradictory assessments. The result was catastrophic: with an impressive budget of $100 million, worldwide box office receipts barely exceeded $30 million. Such a failure was especially painful against the backdrop of the famous names of the creators.
