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Parents' Guide to

The Duel

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Muddled, violent Western echoes Apocalypse Now.

Movie R 2016 110 minutes
The Duel Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

In the 19th century -- an era of continuing disputes regarding land at what is now the Mexico-Texas border -- some white Americans use violent means to keep Mexicans from crossing into U.S. territory; THE DUEL focuses on Abraham (Woody Harrelson), a man with a long history of violence and a cult-like following for his "preaching." Authorities suspect he's behind the killing of innocent, unarmed Mexicans in a tiny Texas hamlet. The governor sends David (Liam Hemsworth), an earnest young Texas Ranger, to investigate undercover. In a monumental error in judgment, David brings his Mexican wife along for the ride, and a series of weird, violent events ensues.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

So many wrong turns by The Duel's writer and director make the errors in judgment committed by the movie's characters seem forgivable in comparison. The script mindlessly coughs out modern phrases not used in the 1800s -- for example, someone "did a number" on someone else. But far worse logical mistakes make this movie a muddle. Why would David ever take his Mexican wife along on an undercover mission to root out a vicious madman known for heinous acts of barbarism against Mexicans? How does the madman know who the lawman is the moment the undercover Texas Ranger arrives? How does the madman predict that the wife will come down with a fever? How does the devilish mad "preacher" turn the loving wife into an acolyte in a matter of days? Magic? The power of god?

And the references to Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 Apocalypse Now -- from the hellish killings down to the fetishistic close-ups of Harrelson's sweaty, shaven head (reminiscent of Marlon Brando's) -- are less reverence than a sign of The Duel's artistic poverty. Most puzzling of all: How can a guy so badly wounded that he's closed his eyes to die be upright in a saddle only minutes later riding away to safety? Note that the designated "bad guy" wears white, customarily symbolic of purity and good, while the "good guy" wears black. Very message-y. The movie's greatest flaw is that, despite all the violence, it isn't nearly as disturbing or instructive as it seems to want to be.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Duel's violence. How does it compare to what you might see in an action movie? Which has more impact? Why? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Does the movie condone the violence that the Texas Ranger must use in order to combat Abraham's evil? Do the ends ever justify the means?

  • Abraham is cruel, especially to those he's prejudiced against -- i.e. the Mexicans. What message does his attitude send? What can we take away from seeing how his character behaves?

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