SnoopyStyle In Napoleonic France, Lieutenant Armand d'Hubert (Keith Carradine) is sent to arrest Lieutenant Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel) for fighting a duel. Feraud takes offense at a slight during the arrest and challenges him to a duel. The men fight but are stopped by Feraud's mistress. D'Hubert is sent back to the front with his men. Months later, Feraud challenges d'Hubert once again. D'Hubert is severely injured. After recovering, they fight again but this time to a standstill. D'Hubert is promoted to captain and it's forbidden for different ranks to duel. Years later, Feraud is now a captain. He runs into d'Hubert and they clash once again. Their paths continue to cross and their duel is reignited again and again.Director Ridley Scott paints a natural picture of the era. The fights are visceral and real. There is a pointlessness to these fights that is based on old ideas of honor. It can get repetitive. The actors are fine and Keitel is compelling whenever he gets on the screen. Keitel's obsessive character is far more interesting than d'Hubert and would be a much more intense character study. This is a somewhat meandering story that is punctuated whenever Keitel shows up. It's an impressive theatrical directorial debut for Ridley Scott.

Phil Hubbs At the beginning I was growing a little bored with this film, a lot of talk and nothing much interesting at that. Slowly you do get a sense of the two main characters and who they are, what they want, and there is the plot. Two soldiers at each others throats through the Napoleonic era from a simple silly cross of words. It sounds almost stupid but the story shows great human emotion as you follow Carradine's character, watching him grow weary and tired of the feud. Whilst at the same time Keitel is perfect as the egotistical and virtually combat obsessed Feraud who loves a good duel. Feraud's quick temper and short fuse causing the main quibble and many others throughout the story. As time passes we see both characters change and grow in terms of attitudes and maturity as well as looks and styles throughout the age.This is where we see Ridley Scott's attention to detail and his master of visual art. The film looks stunning all the way through from start to finish, the costumes are lavish and accurate right down to the buttons on the men's tunic's (certainly looks that way anyway). The sets are small but look highly authentic whilst the landscapes of Europe are sensational! How Scott got the shots as he wanted is beyond me because it looks as though he made a deal with God for some, he must have waited some time for just the right weather to arrive. Whats more amazing is this was all achieved with no CGI assistance of course. Its all very real which makes it even more impressive and shows just what you can do if you put in some hard graft and really really care about what your doing without simply relying on the lazy digital way out.You would never guess this was made 34 years ago now, the stunning visuals and story play out just as well as any modern historical epic. The sword fights may be few and far between but look perfectly realistic, it really does look as though the men are really having to think about their next move, what they're gonna do next to try and survive. No fancy over the top movements, stunts or showboating for the camera here, its all very strategic looking. I loved the way D'Hubert pauses just before the start of one duel to simply sneeze. Intended? I don't know but its a nice little touch that just makes the moment that little bit more realistic...and aristocratic.Seeing as this was Ridley Scott's first film its a hell of start and really shows his potential. The only thing I would say is the film makes you wanna see more of the history going on around the main characters, alas you don't really see much. Its tantalising and hints at it making you want more but the story feels a tad restricted at times. Watching these two chaps bicker like children over nothing in a very polite way can get a tiny bit stale, but overall you still can't help but adore what you're seeing.9/10

freemantle_uk Ridley Scott has a great reputation, making films like Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator and is offer known for his grand and ambitious style. He started his feature film career with the historical drama The Duellists, following D'Hubert (Keith Carradine) and Feraund (Harvey Keitel), two French Army officers and their rivalry from 1800 to 1816, battling across Europe. The Duellist is a beautiful looking, clearly influenced by Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, using natural lighting and giving the film a realist look. Scott did replicate the time period and the atmosphere, particularly with the freezing cold, windy climate of the Russian winter. There are strong sword fights and The Duellists is surprisingly violence for a PG rated film whilst exploring the hypocrisy of the ideas of the honour when it turns men into savage beasts.The Duellists is strong debut from Scott who went onto greats, making a film that easily appeal to fans of historical films, period dramas and Barry Lyndon.

Gabriel Teixeira It is to be expected from a Ridley Scott picture to have outstanding visuals. 'The Duellists', Scott's debut, already shows this trademark: it is one of the most beautiful yet realistic period films I've seen since Kubrick's 'Barry Lyndon'. In truth, the visual are more attractive than the plot itself.Based on a story by Joseph Conrad, 'The Duellists' is a rather straight-forward story of the rivalry between two Napoleon-era French officers: the more humanized and reasonable d'Hubert (Keith Carradine) and the wild thrill-seeking Feraud (Harvey Keitel). Their rivalry, mostly fed on by Feraud, goes on for decades.Considering this was made before CGI and with such a tight budget, it could not be more impressive. The scenery is beautiful and, just like 'Barry Lyndon' (which Ridley Scott used as inspiration), every scene is made in a way that makes them seem to be taken directly from a painting of that era. The lighting, the costumes, the color schemes... From a technical point, the movie is almost flawless. The simple plot does nothing on its own but complement the scenery with the very believable and intense duels or the locations they go to; even its simplicity allows the viewer to take his time admiring the visual.The casting and acting are in a strange disagreement with each other. Carradine has the aristocratic physique to match his character, whereas Keitel would likely feel out of place as a high officer of the French army. However, the latter benefits from the fact there is little to no focus on the army duty itself and merely has to portray an aggressively wild and obsessed man (which he does a damn good job at); meanwhile, Carradine is far too expressionless and dull (saved only by his matching his character appearance), and the romance scenes of his character are often the dullest parts of the film (though so far distributed that they couldn't drag the film down).As time goes by and the special effects get more and more abundant, a film as natural and beautiful as this only gets better and better. 'The Duellists', just like 'Barry Lyndon', is unlikely to be surpassed in its visual beauty.