Colibel
Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.
Chirphymium
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
maenad-3
As a Russophile, I have seen several excellent films made in that great land, including "Andrei Rublev," "Alexander Nevsky," "Ivan the Terrible," "Sadko," "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears," "Burnt by the Sun." It seemed that "The Duellist" would be a respectable historical drama.I had read that in preparation Mizgirev had studied Ridley Scott's The Duellists (1977), a film that I admire. The story per se was intriguing, focusing on the nefarious and deadly career of a mercenary duellist at a time when such affaires d'honneur were quite frequent. The background of this mysterious and quasi occult character piqued my curiosity. Was he really a nobleman? Why was he found half dead by some natives who appeared to be Inuits? Who was paying the salary for the killings? Little by little, the facts emerged. However, they did so in a very scatterbrained manner. We find out about the flashback to the Aleutians in a later flashback which goes back further. We are never sure about his identity as he keeps telling different stories. Sadly, I was confused throughout the film and not very happy when some information was revealed because I could not be sure whether it was the truth or not. I still do not know why Count Beklemishev hated him so nor do I know why the particular victims were targetted. To add to the confusing morass of mystery after mystery, the sets were dismal to say the least, with a superabundance of concrete which reminded me of bunkers in some dystopia. The costumes were also lacking in brilliance. All in all, the atmosphere was rather dingy and sparse. I understand that this film emulates the 19th century genre of the city mysteries, as exemplified by Les Vrais Mystères de Paris (1844) by Eugène François Vidocq, a criminal who became a renowned criminologist. It is this dingy, rank and convoluted ambiance that Alex Mizgirev successfully transfers to his opus. It could have been a great film if not for the plot gaps and shabby sets.
Jeffrey Burton
I really don't get why this movie is getting dissed and why it bombed so badly. I'm guessing people have an attitude because it's a Russian production (and subtitled). A long time ago that doomed the excellent period piece 'Waterloo'. The director, Aleksey Mizgirev, watched 'The Duelists' by Ridley Scott for preparation, another movie that is very underrated.I found this movie to be really engaging. The story never drags. It's beautifully shot with great production design and cinematography. It's an intriguing look at honor and nobility as interpreted by the Russian culture. The story is a bit reminiscent of Dostoevsky. There's a bad Count who had banished the duelist and as irony would have it, years later he employs the same man to fight duels to rid himself of enemies.The film is well acted. Pyotr Fyodorov is stoic and sort of badass as the title character. He really fills the role very well. Vladimir Mashkov is a commanding presence as the evil count. Yuliya Khlynina plays the easy to look at, in slightly over her head, Princess, who becomes the love interest of both the duelist and the evil count.I definitely recommend this movie for fans of period pieces.
rsg-25524
First of all I didn't realize it was subtitled, the box didn't indicate that. Anyway, great settings, costumes, and the acting is good. I just turned it off because I'm so tired of so much violence in films. Films used to be an escape, now they are too realistic. The world is so troubled do we need so much sex and violence in films and now TV series. Just my opinion.
Larry Silverstein
Set in 19th century Imperial Russia, this quite violent Russian film stars Pyotr Fyodorov, who gives a powerful performance as the mysterious Yakovlev. He's only been in the city of St. Petersburg for several months but has already killed 5 men as a duelist (comparable in a way to a Wild West gunslinger). Only slowly do we learn of his motivations, and it's only towards the very end of the movie that all is revealed.To note, I thought some of the plot elements could be rather obtuse and difficult to follow at times. The settings and cinematography are exquisite and I really got the sense that I was right there in 19th century Russia.All in all, if you don't mind the violence or some of the cloudy plot elements, this movie can be a reasonably decent watch, especially if you like dark and intense foreign dramas.
