20 Best Films Of 2021

Ridley Scott's latest historical epic may have bombed at the box office, but it's likely to be fondly remembered as one of the director's most deftly crafted late-period films.

In the hands of a lesser filmmaker it's easy to see how this timely tale of truth and belief could be totally bungled, but thanks to a script that keenly grants pride and place to the under-represented female perspective, this is a triumphant if difficult-to-watch piece of work.

The rape-centric narrative is understandably not something all audiences are going to want to engage with - especially as the traumatic incident is shown not once but twice - yet Scott's refusal to tidy-up or sanitise the incident is all the more to the movie's strength.

Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Ben Affleck are terrific, though it's Jodie Comer who steals the show as the victim of the story, Marguerite de Carrouges.

As a testament to the importance of believing women and the necessity for men to de-center themselves from their stories, The Last Duel couldn't feel more contemporary despite its centuries-old setting.