XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

johnmbr 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.

bubatd a beautiful movie with exquisite photography & score that evokes splendidly what the Napoleonic era could very well have been like, the premise is very simple but i really enjoyed the way it was explored, a seemingly insignificant incident based on a misunderstanding escalates into a ridiculous decade long series of duels between two antagonists, one of which is really rather reluctant and the other completely driven by this desire to avenge what he perceives as a slight to his honor, all set against a backdrop of the sweeping events of the Napoleonic Wars raging across EuropeThe cast, Locations and atmosphere are fantastic, i'm really surprised this film isn't more well know, a classic movie in my book,

Manny Kim 'The Duellists' does not specialize in plot or character development, though they are present in the film. So why the stellar review?There is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie in terms of plot and character development, costume design, choreography and soundtrack. Though there are and will be disagreement on some of the director's choices, everything in the film is deliberate or at least appears so.This is one of Ridley Scott's first films and like many people, Scott seems to understand that first impressions go a long way. Many 'first films' are great because their directors put their very best effort into making their break. In this film, expect a great mix of 'haute art' and frantic action.Oh, did I mention that the actors used weighted, metal, blunted swords and swung them at each other?

Murtaza Ali While people often hail Ridley Scott as the maker of films like Gladiator, Blade Runner, and Alien, they rarely talk about his debut film ‪'The Duellists'‬ which can certainly be described as the single greatest achievement of Scott's highly decorated filmmaking career.The Duellists has the look and the feel of a big budget film despite being shot on a budget that can be described as moderate at best. The film thrives on Scott's remarkable ability to spot and adapt untouched stories of master storytellers like Joseph Conrad (in case The Duellists) and Philip K Dick (in case of Blade Runner).The Duellists basically tells the story of two Napoleonic officers who engage in a series of uncompleted duels that go on intermittently for years. In a nutshell, it is a tale of pride and honor, and, more importantly, obsession. Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine play their respective parts to a tee, brilliantly complementing their contrasting roles.The movie's cinematography, editing and music are absolutely topnotch and provide the perfect foil for Scott's ingenious direction and Gerald Vaughan-Hughes' brilliant adaptation of Conrad's short story which bear a striking resemblance to Hugo's Les Miserables.The Duellists is a underrated masterpiece and certainly deserves more attention than it has received over the last 35 years or so. There is little doubt that it is the single greatest achievement of Ridley Scott's filmmaking career. The Duellists bears quite a few similarities with Stanley Kubrick's supremely masterful 'Barry Lyndon' -- another film that deals with duels and notorious soldiers -- and can be relished back-to-back with it. The Duellists is a film that a serious film- goer simply cannot afford to miss.For more on the world of cinema, please visit my film blog "A Potpourri of Vestiges".