Wonderfully offbeat film!

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I have watched this film so many times I know the dialogue off by heart. It is, in my opinion, the best film ever made. Everything about it is "just so", some things by design and some through serendipity such as when the two horses kiss just at the moment General d'Hubert gets down on one knee to popose to his lover.

First of all, how could it possible that Napoleon's army was such an undisciplined crowd allowed his brothers-in-arms to have their own will and pleasure to kill each other for such a senseless and pointless duels instead of killing their claimed foreign enemies? The story was such a illogical scenario by telling us that a guy who received the order from his superior to look for the other soldier who knowingly or unknowingly wounded the son of a mayor, then the thug-like bloody thirst soldier unreasonably blamed that unlucky messenger soldier to find him and forced him to duel with him, and then the unexplainable animosity last for over an decade? Yet the most unexplainable absurdity is these two guys, one thug soldier and one absolutely a gentleman soldier both could have advanced themselves unto a general rank? If this absurdity in the Napoleon's army was true, no wonder he would have lost wars against Russia and then at Waterloo to the British army. That bully and thug who prided himself as a duelist on nowadays standard and army law, should have stood court marshal, thrown in the prison or shot, albeit promoted again and again from a low ranking officer to a general. What a joke! But the most ridiculous and laughable thing of this film is these so-called duelists didn't even know how to use their swords! They were using their swords in the duels like peasants chopping wood blocks with axes for the winter. There's no swordsmanship or any fighting techniques at all with their swords, just chopping randomly to each other until both tired themselves out. That's another ridiculous joke of this film. These guys were not on the level of "The Three Musketeers" who were French soldiers too and obviously, they knew how to use their swords expertly and knew how to fight or duel.This film had wasted so many expensive settings, costumes and manpower just for the purpose to realize a ridiculous short story by Joseph Conrad, a great author but obviously not quite familiar with the French military ethics but only crafted a dramatic but absurd short story by his own imagination, then it was stupidly adapted into a moronic movie script and directed by a director who again overlooked the absurdity of the story, then signed up two guys to play these two foolish characters as the duelists, yet never had the heart and patience to train them as proper and believable swordsmen who later in this film only became two laughable red-neck like guys, using their swords like waving axes without any artful swords fighting techniques is something I could never understand.5 stars are for the nice settings, costumes, stunts and makeup, not for the poor story itself at all.

It's sparkles as two words meeting in the air. It's Ridley Scott's debut film (inspired by a Joseph Conrad's tale) and it is based on a futile motive of offense turned into a 15-years-long-lasting-duel: From the time Napoleon got on charge (1800) till the beginning of the Restoration (1816). That's a challenge protracted through the time and involving two hussar lieutenants: Volatile and insolent Gabriel Féraud (Harvey Keitel) and measured courteous Armand d'Hubert (Keith Carradine).The opposition between two natures, two points of view, two worlds can bump into each other only on the edge, in the heat of a duel Scott show us using quick reverse shots. There is a perfect melody linked to those cutting blows we saw in their memorable clash in Strasbourg, in the Féraud's house courtyard where the same Féraud got injured.But this is only the starting point of a rivalry sliding through years and places, becoming an obsession to Féraud and a fierce anxiety to his opposite D'Hubert. There are only these two figures in front of us while all other things roll on the background and everything else fade in the vague conglomerated of the facts – Thanks to backlits that Ridley Scott skilfully builds on around the single fact that matters: The duel Féraud/D'Hubert.Two uniforms will wind up the following year in Augusta: Once in a farmstead's garden when D'Hubert were wounded to the chest and he couldn't continue the match; then inside a barn with a grisy fight goes on to the exhaustion of the contendings – Spectators stop them.By the time they are compromised men and an iron bond inextricably grip them. Whilst moderate D'Hubert tries to escape the forthcoming vis à vis, he stumbles upon his enemy in a tavern in Lubecca (1806). So here it is a new quarrel. On horseback. But this time D'Hubert becomes Féraud: The wicked challenger ends up on the ground for the impetus of whom wants to definitely close the game.However the duel will never get to the end until one will die. And six years later that phantom comes again in the middle of the blank desertic Russia Campaign, but this time Féraud and D'Hubert's guns aim at the same direction to stifle Cossacks threat. History steps in between. And it also does when they return home: Armand D'Hubert is at the service of King Louis XVIII; instead Gabriel Féraud wrecks himself like his Emperor does.D'Hubert becomes general; Féraud gets in the list of whom destined to the guillotine. But general D'Hubert has a personal code honor and asks for a grace to be given to his rival Féraud, interceding to the powerful Police Minister, Joseph Fouché (Albert Finney).Nevertheless the duel hasn't disappeared and there is nothing can placate Féraud. Until the epilogue in Tours (1816), the final skirmish amongst ruins of a castle: One gun and two cartridges to everyone.Féraud consumes his, D'Hubert has one lock and load and takes a decision: He honorably decides to declare dead the enemy and so to take his life. He decides to lead him to his hour death and to stop men who challenge the world as everything is a dull game.

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