Das Duell

Westerns for me is such a distinctive genre as owing to a specific time in history and being rooted in its universal themes that has been explored almost exhaustively.

It's surprising then that one should come along with a kick to the teeth in the guise of a movie that's packaged lightly in terms of visuals and score. The story follows a young ranger and spouse as he has to face a man, who killed his father in a duel in the past, and now reigns supreme in a small town near the Mexican border.

Harrelson is cut out for this role as a man who is on a self-righteous path of carrying out the will of the divine by means of brutality and chances of fate. He is a force to be reckoned with and overshadows all else around him but Hemsworth's Kingston is well versed himself in taking the law into his own hands. Almost too mechanical by way of showing how it's done but believe you me it's a slice of justice being dished out, nothing fancy, and enough to sit you down.

The intrigue of spirituality that leads people on down a dark road is only touched upon as being an inexplicable power that makes few connections with the actual clandestine going ons that has brought the characters at odds with one another. Something as easily abused is often mistaken for something else but no one could possibly deviate from the course when Harrelson's fierce eyes are keeping watch.

Good cast,nice and interesting script but something's missing I don't know what exactly. Bad rating from the majority of the subscribers but I wasn't feel right the 2..4 or phrases like"waste of time" No it wasn't so bad ...but i agree that it's not a film for all.(I've read some reviews).A pleasant western film with quite fascinating plot.I'm not so much into the western films but I've enjoyed this one ...it wasn't captivating or something like that ,but not boring either.Everything was in place,every piece of the puzzle,the plot was there,the actors was there ,the action was there but something was missing.The whole movie was good though(6.7/10) even if I wanted,basically I needed a different ending .So,as a conclusion i want to say that the movie is worth seeing and enjoyable.Both Hemsworth and Harrelson were great and made the movie better .

A number of citizens of Mexican origins are disappearing and the bodies, some of them, have been found floating in the Rio Grande. A Mexican general played by Jose Zuniga is threatening to do a Pancho Villa and cross the border as his niece is one of the missing. That prompts the Governor of Texas to dispatch one of his best Texas Rangers, Liam Hemsworth to a remote region to investigate a town called Helena.

A former Confederate colonel Woody Harrelson is a Reverend Jim Jones like character who holds sway there. Hemsworth has his work cut out for them, more than he could ever conceive.

There are certainly elements of The Most Dangerous Game here, but add to that the cult like devotion that Harrelson enjoys. Plus he's making good money for himself and the town of Helena with his most dangerous game. He's opened it up as a business, it's clear that the Mexicans are substitutes for black people as I'm sure the word is out to avoid the area and Mexicans are plentiful across the river.

None of the drama in that original Most Dangerous Game is present here. Harrelson is a compelling figure, Australian Hemsworth is convincing as a Texan.

The whole thing falls way short of a classic and even as a western, most western fans will find this way to weird.

Over the past decade, there has been a resurgence in the Western. That is good news because this is a much-loved genre. However, when a film like THE DUEL comes along, we simply reverse to square one all over again. This is a miserable and unsatisfying excuse for a film. The viewer will find it difficult to cheer on any of the cast, simply because they are one-dimensional characters. It is not the fault of the actors, however. Blame lies entirely at the feet of the director. This is one helmsman who is totally amateurish in his approach, and I will do my best to avoid his features in the future. There is zero intrigue, suspense, characterization, interest nor due care here. The pace drags throughout. And the editing is amateurish also. Liam Hemsworth is a competent actor but even he struggles with his role - yet he is the best thing about the film. And as for Woody Harrelson...! He should receive an award for the Greatest Miscasting of the Year. He is downright hopeless in the role of the Mount Hermon emperor. This part requires an actor of strength and charisma. But poor Woody falls at every step. Don't misunderstand me, I like Woody Harrelson. But not in roles like this. Abysmal casting.

Regrettably, the great genre of film that is the Western struggles mightily in our present time. Most Westerns are now low-budget, like The Duel, but that does not mean that it should be written off (I was pleasantly surprised that the recent release Forsaken was a decent Western). There are some positives in this film, yet negatives are rampant and I will note the primary ones.

This film features a decent cast and an interesting story which involves an investigation surrounding missing people and an occult leader that has come to control the hearts and minds of the people of a small Texas town. However, besides a respectable performance by Liam Hemsworth, the cast is mediocre and forgettable with Woody Harrleson topping the list as being a cliché villain with forgettable, pretentious faux-intellectual dialogue.

The action is average at best, and above all else there is a feeling that the writers or producers wanted to inject their opinion regarding the current treatment of Mexicans (something a reviewer on Roger Ebert's website noted) into a script already bogged down with murder, missing persons, revenge, a husband-wife relationship, a mysterious town, and a religious occult leader. It is subtle. However, it seemed out of place and unnecessary but that does not stop Hollywood from forcing a narrative or agenda into a movie, does it?

Overall, this is a movie that had promise, but sub-par acting and a feeling that it did not know which plot point should receive the most attention weakened the film as a whole. If you like Westerns, you may find it more alluring because of the genre. Nevertheless, it is a one time watch that struggles and does not contribute anything of great worth.