Anton Chekhov's The Duel
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    100
    It takes something like a miracle to unlock the magic in his exquisite aggravations, the essence of the human comedy. This film is indeed something like a miracle.
  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    90
    The performances are excellent all around, with Scott mesmerizing as the emotionally volatile Laevsky and the gorgeous Glascott making vividly clear why her character drives all the surrounding men to distraction.
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    90
    The Duel is the most successful literary adaptation I've seen since Pascal Ferran's 2006 "Lady Chatterley."
  4. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    90
    If it weren't for the masterful work of director Dover Kosashvili, this rich, evocative film wouldn't have nearly the impact it does.
  5. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Sam Adams
    83
    It's a pleasure simply to linger in the characters' company, or at least to watch them from just far enough away to observe them without being judged in return.
  6. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    80
    Anton Chekhov's The Duel is convincingly-yes--Chekhovian.
  7. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    80
    Once again, Mr. Kosashvili mixes moments of bitterness and laughter with strong dramatic passages, creating a social milieu in The Duel that is believably inhabited, consistently surprising and true-feeling in detail and sweep.
  8. Variety
    Reviewed by: Ronnie Scheib
    80
    This worthy follow-up to Kosashvili's brilliant "Late Marriage" should delight auds worldwide.
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    This is smart, inspired, no-fuss entertainment.
  10. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: John P. McCarthy
    70
    Listen closely, however, and amidst the zingers and world-weary chatter, Chekhov's generous humanism comes through loud and clear.
  11. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Fred Camper
    70
    Koshashvili effectively captures turn-of-the-century ennui, but, more impressively, some of the feel of literary prose by intercutting characters in different locales, pausing the narrative for thoughtful close-ups that evoke interiority. The excellent excellent acting conveys the principals' emotional ambiguities.
  12. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Kimberley Jones
    67
    Just as marriage does not banish aloneness, proximity to the characters onscreen doesn't unlock any special connection to them.
  13. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    63
    It just feels like playacting.
  14. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Keith Uhlich
    60
    One senses this is a production better suited to the stage.
  15. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Anthony Lane
    60
    The movie's problem begins as you lift up your eyes to the hills. In Chekhov these are craggy and hostile, a fitting backdrop to the dried-out souls who dwell below, but Dover Koshashvili's film lingers on green slopes. They suggest fruition and escape, whereas for Laevsky, the eternally stifled dreamer, there should be no way out.
  16. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    50
    Somehow isn't as exciting as a duel over a woman should be.

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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. williet
    5
    God, was this boring. After a while I was no longer praying for a duel - I wanted an ASSASSINATION. A lot of them. See Young Victoria if you want the vintage look - and something truly beautiful as a story and a set.… Full Review »
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