Today’s quick review: The Duel. When the bodies of dozens of Mexicans wash up downriver of Mount Hermon, Texas ranger David Kingston (Liam Hemsworth) and his wife Marisol (Alice Braga) travel to the secluded town to investigate. There they find Abraham Brant (Woody Harrelson), a hypnotic preacher with a firm grip on the townsfolk. But as David digs into the town’s dirty secrets, what he uncovers could end up costing him his marriage and his life.
The Duel is a gritty Western drama about a Texas ranger and a small-town preacher with plenty to hide. The Duel plays out as a cat-and-mouse game between the two men, as David investigates the murders that brought him to Mount Hermon and Abraham works his charm on David’s wife. The film goes a good job of establishing tension, but it has a harder time bringing it to bear. The result is a mechanically solid film with mixed payoff.
The Duel manages its drama fairly well. Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and Alice Braga all turn in credible performances, with Harrelson standing out as the charming yet menacing Abraham Brant. The plot is a slow boil that splits its time between drip-feeding clues to David and building a sense of foreboding around Mount Hermon and its residents. More generally, The Duel does a good job hinting that something is wrong without specifying what.
Where The Duel struggles is in putting its tension to good use. The plot culminates in a mediocre finale that wraps up the main plot satisfactorily but leaves the other threads dangling. The drama surrounding David’s relationship to Marisol is undermined by the fact that they don’t have much chemistry to begin with. The tone of the film also skews bleak: a slow worsening of a bad situation without enough counterplay for David.
The Duel may appeal to those who like darker mysteries centered around charismatic villains. The film’s plot, acting, and suspense are enough to make it a decent watch for the right viewer. But it lacks the writing to make its best elements shine, and its mystery is neither as intricate nor as fulfilling as its premise would suggest. Fans of the heroic side of the Western genre should steer clear.
For a classic Western about a roving lawman, try Hang ‘Em High. For a modern Western with a gritty tone and a more nuanced villain, try 3:10 to Yuma. For a more offbeat Western with black comedy elements, try The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. For a horror drama with similar conflicts and more overt scares, try The Devil’s Advocate.
5.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for the makings of a suspenseful drama without the skill to bring it home.