Synopsis
In 1800, as Napoleon Bonaparte rises to power in France, a rivalry erupts between Armand and Gabriel, two lieutenants in the French Army, over a perceived insult. For over a decade, they engage in a series of duels amidst larger conflicts, including the failed French invasion of Russia in 1812, and shifts in the political and social systems of Europe.
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Cast
- Keith CarradineD'Hubert
- Harvey KeitelFeraud
- Albert FinneyFouche
- Edward FoxColonel
- Cristina RainesAdele
- Robert StephensGen. Treillard
- Tom ContiDr. Jacquin
- John McEneryChevalier
- Diana QuickLaura
- Alun ArmstrongLacourbe
Recommendations
- 100
San Francisco Chronicle
A forgotten masterpiece. - 90
The Guardian
A splendid recreation of Napoleonic France and a compelling movie to boot. - 80
The New Yorker
Consistently entertaining and eerily beautiful. - 75
Slant Magazine
The Duellists explores its own unique thematic terrain and limns its characters’ psychology with a perspicacity that’s all its own. - 75
The A.V. Club
In spite of the material's thinness, and even though Carradine and Keitel look ridiculous sporting fancy duds while speaking bodice-ripper dialogue in flat American accents, The Duellists endures as a diverting action potboiler. - 70
The New York Times
A film that satisfies not because it sweeps us off our feet, knocks us into the aisles, provides us with visions of infinity or definitions of God, but because it is precise, intelligent, civilized, and because it never for a moment mistakes its narrative purpose. - 60
Chicago Reader
The film comes closer to working than it has any right to, given the curious casting (Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel) and director Ridley Scott's inability to sustain dramatic tension or build a coherent scene. - 60
TV Guide Magazine
The film's outstanding beauty is not enough to compensate its slim story, which remains preoccupied with the duellists' insane obsession with military codes of conduct and personal honor.
