Editor’s Note: The movie, The Last Duel, and the following review, contains content which some viewers and readers may find triggering and/or distressing.

Ridley Scott is not known for making movies that shy away from their subject matter. More than that, he has become known for making movies that are societally appropriate. In 2005, just a few years into what then-President George W. Bush called “The War on Terror,” and at the height of Islamophobia, Scott made Kingdom of Heaven, a film about the Crusades, depicting the fight for Jerusalem.

More than that, the film featured the Muslim leader, Saladin, showing him as the honorable, just, and fair man he was. In a time when there was rampant racism against Muslims, a trend which sadly continues today, it was quite a bold step to take. Just a few years prior to that, Scott directed Black Hawk Down, a true story about Americans being sent to, according to a line in the film, “either help a country rebuild after a dictator claims power, or watch it destroy itself.”

The Last Duel follows Scott’s vision of creating socially relevant films for today, which are based in history. It follows three accounts of the same story. The first two portray conflicting perspectives of a battle led by Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, two close friends in the French army. They go on to address Le Gris becoming a favorite of a powerful French count, de Carrouges’ loss of favor with the court, how he meets his wife, Marguerite, and how Le Gris believes he is the object of Marguerite’s affections.

A third account, the perspective of Marguerite, tells of her life with de Carrouges. All three stories culminate with the rape of Marguerite by Le Gris, the attempts by Marguerite and de Carrouges to find justice for the crime, and a duel to the death between Le Gris and de Carrouges.

In much the same way that Scott does not shy away from heavy subjects, this movie, once again, pulls no punches. It’s a gory, visceral, bloody, accurate portrayal of battles in the 1300s. In terms of historical accuracy, while the film blurs some details about de Carrouges, the spirit of the story and the portrayal of the historical events remain largely intact.

When it comes to the scene in which Marguerite is raped, it lasts for about a minute or so. Jodie Comer does her job heartbreakingly well. It’s a difficult scene to watch, as it should be, when capturing something as heinous as rape.

Aside from Comer, who should be considered an Oscar front-runner at this point, there is a lot to love about the movie. Matt Damon and Adam Driver give brilliant performances that foil each other perfectly: Damon as the hot-headed, reactionary de Carrouges, and Driver as the methodical, plotting, stoic Le Gris. Similarly, once you get past the ridiculous goatee on his face, Ben Affleck also delivers a well-crafted, slimy performance as Count Pierre.

All the other pieces, from sets to costumes, and from camerawork to score, work together brilliantly to bring the 1300s alive on screen. For that, Scott deserves immense credit. His choice of the 1300s as the setting for a “Me Too,” film is daring. In the movie, women are viewed as property, a wedding is a business arrangement, and the crime itself is initially considered a crime against de Carrouges, because Marguerite is considered his property.

It is only when de Carrouges puts his life on the line that the crime is taken seriously by France, and yet Marguerite and her crusade to expose the truth so she can reclaim her life is front and center for the audience.

The movie tells you a true story of a woman who was raped, and her attempt to seek justice in a time when justice for such a crime was largely ignored. It may also make the viewer question how far society has come when it comes to justice for rape victims. The goal of the movie is to make people understand that this has been happening to women for over 700 years and we still have trouble, as a society, believing women when they disclose that is has happened to them.

In the movie, a woman is raped, has her and her husband’s name dragged through the mud, and the incident results in a duel to the death, with horrific consequences, depending on the outcome. The Last Duel is a true story that works as a devastating metaphor for the world today.