The Duellists
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: January 13, 1978 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleJohn Stanley
A forgotten masterpiece. Read full review
90
The GuardianAlex Von Tunzelmann
A splendid recreation of Napoleonic France and a compelling movie to boot. Read full review
88
Washington PostGary Arnold
Ridley Scott has made a triumphant directing debut by creating a film that looks beautiful but never loses sight of the capacity for animosity and conflict lurking in the human psyche. [08 Mar 1978, p.D1]
80
The New YorkerPauline Kael
Consistently entertaining and eerily beautiful.
75
Slant MagazineBudd Wilkins
The Duellists explores its own unique thematic terrain and limns its characters’ psychology with a perspicacity that’s all its own. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
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. Read full review
70
The New York TimesVincent Canby
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. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMark Chalon Smith
Scott gets strong performances from his supporting cast and is able to salvage the movie through the alchemy of the striking visuals. [13 Feb 1992, p.13]
60
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
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. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
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. Read full review
60
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
It does not quite achieve a more lusty visual feel for the times and the strange relations of these two men to themselves and to the women in and out of their lives. Read full review
60
NewsweekDavid Ansen
The period details are dryly elegant and painstakingly authentic. Yet the film feels underfed - there's not enough meat on the bones of the plot to warrant such opulence. [30 Jan 1978, p.55]
50
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Scott, a name in TV commercials making his first feature, brings little overall thrust, working instead in short bursts. Read full review
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