40
The Duelist isn’t deep enough for the viewer to attempt to draw meaning from beneath its glam surface, but it’s still interesting to watch the film as a look at where Russia is at as a nation.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
50
Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz
It’s so ridiculously overstuffed it’s kind of fun. That extends to, or perhaps begins with, the look of the film. It’s rich, overripe, yet still kind of seedy.
70
Los Angeles Times by Gary Goldstein
The sumptuously shot, costumed, designed and scored Russian import The Duelist dazzles and provokes as it makes little real sense beyond the confines of its hermetic milieu.
30
The New York Times by Glenn Kenny
The clichéd story line pursues turgidity with a relentless determination.
75
RogerEbert.com by Godfrey Cheshire
With The Duelist, Rodnyansky is taking a more commercial turn, one that depends less on art-house refinements than on plush production values, action-movie tropes and a couple of stellar lead performances.
58
The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
The premise of intrigue and revenge in a high-society Tsarist underworld is irresistible and pulpy, but Mizgirev’s script is an indigestible, soap-operatic mess of backstories, clichés, and the kind of ambiguous mystic overtones that have become an unbreakable addiction for Russian film.
70
What's most arresting is the way Mizgirev's vision of 1860s Russia shines through in the perspiration on Champagne goblets, the flicker of candlelight on faces, and the sheen of polished-steel dueling pistols.
37
Washington Post by Stephanie Merry
The Duelist will leave viewers scratching their heads over any number of questions, but the most gnawing one might be: Why did everyone get so dressed up for a bloodbath?
63
Philadelphia Inquirer by Tirdad Derakhshani
The film is too formulaic and far too prone to melodrama, with outsize emotions as ridiculous as its comic-book villains.
80
Screen International by Wendy Ide
Despite some pacing issues and a slightly repetitive second act, this is a polished production which establishes writer/director Aleksei Mizgirev as a talent to watch