Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Duellists (1977)
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A curious mixture. This British film, based on a Conrad story, received heavy US financial backing and stars two Americans conspicuously at odds with their British supporting cast. The film-makers dubiously opt for a kind of Napoleonic Western: a tale of honour and obsession with one French officer pursued down the years by another. Keitel struggles gamely against a wooden Carradine, but the American influences further dislocate a script that delivers little observation, psychological or social, on their running feud. Instead, the film concentrates on the look of things, backed up by heavy research into contemporary French fashions. Scott, a name in TV commercials making his first feature, brings little overall thrust, working instead in short bursts.Author: CPe
Top Stories
Ridley Scott interview
Director Ridley Scott tells Cath Clarke why he's making a science fiction comeback
Cannes Film Festival 2012: half-time report
Dave Calhoun reports on the hits, misses and a shocking new masterpiece from Michael Haneke
What do you think?
Post your review now