Ridley Scott's big-screen bow has fervent devotees, but his critics' style-over-substance argument has never been more pertinent. Set in Napoleonic France, The Duellists chronicles the decade-spanning feud of army officers Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel. The fights are effective, the cinematography stunning, the characters risible. A beautiful but hollow picture.
DVD Extras:
A glut of bonus features for Scott devotees. Storyboards, trailers and his debut short, Boy And Bicycle, are included, as is a new commentary which sees the dour Geordie on surprisingly sprightly form. Composer Howard Blake contributes an obsessives-only blab, too. Most involving of all, though, is the Duelling Directors documentary, with Scott quizzed by Count Of Monte Cristo helmer Kevin Reynolds.
