Movie review
October 13, 2021 · 153 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Last Duel is a 2021 historical drama set in 14th-century France that recounts the events leading to the country’s final sanctioned trial by combat. The story unfolds in Rashomon-style chapters from the perspectives of knight Jean de Carrouges, squire Jacques Le Gris, and Carrouges’s wife Marguerite after she accuses Le Gris of rape. The film places strong, recurring emphasis on Marguerite’s experience of sexual violence, disbelief, and systemic gender injustice in a patriarchal society, with the final chapter explicitly presented as “the truth.” Creators framed the project around modern feminist themes and #MeToo parallels.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Last Duel.
Woke representation / casting
Period-appropriate casting with no forced diversity or mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
Some dialogue underscores gender power dynamics with contemporary undertones.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative engine revolves around the wife’s rape accusation and her perspective on gender injustice.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Critiques medieval patriarchal institutions and male entitlement, reframed through a modern #MeToo lens by the creators.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Moderate woke complaints from anti-woke audiences viewing it as feminist #MeToo propaganda.
Creator track record context
Explicit feminist and #MeToo framing by the writers in interviews.
Production
