Film

The Duel

Name: The Duel
Genre: Western, Drama
Released: 2016
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Alice Braga, Emory Cohen, Felicity Price

Other titles called The Duel: the 1971 film, the 2000 film.

A Texas Ranger arrives in a remote town to investigate mysterious deaths, uncovering secrets that blur the line between justice and vengeance. Beautifully shot and deliberately paced, this is a western for people who prefer mood and moral ambiguity to gunslinger heroics. It asks hard questions about whether redemption is possible when the truth might destroy everything.

TMDb rating

2.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like slow, dusty Westerns where the puzzle of a troubled town matters more than the action, and you're happy to sit with a bleak, moody atmosphere.

Skip it if you want a quick, lively genre romp; this one is measured and heavy in its mood, and it runs nearly two hours.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a little under two hours of unhurried scenes, with patience for wide landscapes, long silences and characters who keep their cards close.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Hell or High Water2016

A modern western about corruption and survival, with the same commitment to character over spectacle. Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges bring genuine weight to a story about men with nowhere left to go.

But Deliberately slow in places, and the ending won't satisfy anyone looking for a clean resolution or traditional justice.

Slow West2015

A haunting frontier story that treats violence as tragedy, not entertainment. Michael Fassbender's presence and the film's careful moral complexity make it quietly devastating.

But Very quiet and contemplative; if you want action or plot momentum, you'll find it frustratingly restrained.

Appaloosa2008

Ed Harris directs and stars in this western about a lawman grappling with his own ruthlessness. It has similar DNA—character-driven, visually elegant, interested in the cost of justice.

But The pacing is glacial even by western standards, and the romantic subplot feels tacked on and awkward.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Duel

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford2007

Both films treat the western as a vehicle for moral and psychological inquiry rather than action. They're interested in how myths distort truth, and what happens when reality refuses to cooperate with the story we tell ourselves.

Roger Deakins' cinematography is almost unbearably beautiful, but what matters is the psychological obsession at its core: how legends are built and destroyed. Like The Duel, it's about men undone by secrets and the past.

But Three hours long and Brad Pitt barely speaks for the second half. If you want a biopic with narrative momentum, this isn't it.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford poster

The Ballad of Little Jo1993

A true-story western about a woman who disguises herself as a man to survive. Maggie Sinclair's performance is understated and powerful; it shares the film's interest in identity and secrets.

But The budget is modest and it looks its age; some viewers find period details more distracting than immersive.

Meek's Cutoff2011

Kelly Reichardt's masterpiece about settlers lost in the Oregon wilderness. It has the same patience with ambiguity and refusal to explain everything—trusting the audience to sit with dread.

But Nearly plotless and shot in a boxy aspect ratio that many find claustrophobic. Not a film that *does* things; it *is*.

Johnny Guitar1954

Nicholas Ray's baroque western with a female lead and sexual tension that predates most modern cinema. Strange, gorgeous, and completely unconcerned with genre convention.

But The colour is garish and the dialogue is arch; it can feel campy to modern eyes, though that's partly the point.

The Homesman2014

Tommy Lee Jones directs and stars in this brutal, tender story of survival and faith on the frontier. Hilary Swank anchors it with a performance of almost unbearable dignity.

But Sexually violent and deeply bleak. It doesn't soften its subject matter, and the ending will haunt you in ways that might not feel cathartic.

Godless2017

A miniseries about a town run by women, with Jeff Daniels as the antagonist. It has visual grandeur and moral complexity, plus it's only six episodes—you can finish it in a night.

But Uneven in tone, and some plot threads feel rushed or underdeveloped because of the short runtime.

Nocebo2022

Both films believe that the deepest threat isn't external—it's what people know about each other and choose not to say. Both use landscape and cinematography to externalize psychological decay.

An Italian-language psychological thriller about a woman's mysterious illness and the secrets in her marriage. Completely different genre, but it shares an obsession with how hidden truths corrode from within, and visual beauty as a way to mask darkness.

But Subtitled, slow-burn, and genuinely unsettling rather than thrilling. Some viewers will find it too strange and deliberate for comfort.

The Power of the Dog2021

Both films center on men whose power dissolves when their secrets are known. Both use the western setting not for mythology but as a frame for intimate, devastating character studies where the real violence happens in silence.

Jane Campion's New Zealand western about toxic masculinity, repressed desire, and the revenge of the overlooked. Benedict Cumberbatch gives one of his best performances as a man destroyed by what he won't admit.

But Deliberately mannered in ways that will irritate viewers who want naturalism. Takes its time and requires patience with ambiguous character motivation.