(The only spoiler in this review is in the fourth paragraph) The Duel is a low budget western starring two big actors. I personally really enjoyed the movie. I felt at the beginning it was very slow paced, and this may be the case for the majority of the film. However this slow pace is necessary for the plot building at the start, which evolves into tension filled scenes that have a great action filled release.

With the revival of western movies recently, I feel there are some high expectations and people want the same thrilling response to the movies of this genre that used to be achieved in the golden age of western movies upheld by John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. I feel these expectations are what prevents people from enjoying simple enjoyable movies like The Duel.

The movies plot is a very common one of protagonist vs antagonist, you can see this from the movie poster. However the story behind this plot, and witnessing the relationship between the two key characters evolve in this movie is full of tension, suspense and mystery. Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson both deliver convincing performances and accents. Woody Harrelson's character in particular is a villain which the movies mystery revolves around.

(spoiler in this paragraph)Although the movie is not without its flaws. The movie is successful in achieving mystery, however, Woody Harrelson's character, 'The Preacher', is the component of the story from which a lot of the mystery and suspense is resourced from. There are rumors surrounding him one of which is that "He is touched by God". His divine powers are never really evident except when he knows the protagonists true identity, and his interaction with 'Marisol' (the protagonists wife). I don't know if he knew David's (the protagonist) identity the whole time. I can't tell if he is the reason for Marisol's fever, why he is so interested in her, why she ends up turning on her husband and what happens to her when David leaves. At the end is she the preachers new wife? And why was she so allured to the preacher after he first visited her, does that weird symbol he painted on his eye have something to do with it or did he seduce her?. It's just that there is no clear cause for these events and no clear answer to the end result. You don't know if The Preacher has powers, or if he just brainwashes the town and the cult he leads into believing it. It is one small aspect that I just have too much curiosity towards, and it spoiled the movie on me slightly. The only other curiosity I have is the ending; David goes off into the brush and isolation and no one knows why.

(spoilers over) Other than the issues I addressed above, I really enjoyed the movie and was really engaged throughout. I feel that's the key with this movie, if you can stay attentive and pick up on the small details throughout, the action filled ending is a larger pay off and a more satisfying release of tension. I wouldn't say this is a movie I loved so much that I really want to see it a second time, but it is definitely worth the watch. Although if you don't like slow building plots and get bored easily in movies, this one may not be engaging enough, but if you like western movies, action (pretty violent), and suspense, then I think you will definitely enjoy The Duel.

A Texas Ranger , David Kingston (Liam Hemsworth) is assigned by his commandant (William Sadler) to investigate a series of unexplained deaths in a town called Helena where rules tyrannically a fake preacher named Abraham (Woody Harrelson) . There , David is appointed sheriff, then things go wrong.

Pretty good and straightforward western dealing with thought-provoking issues , including thrills , go riding , noisy action , shootouts and lots of violence . Attractive but too slow at times , the movie is redeemed by its great performances , the realistic view of the Old West and by its rich array of charming roles. The two leading men Liam Hemsworth as David Kingston and Woody Harrelson as Abraham are magnificent in the hostile environment which the flick is set in . If you are a fan of the guys, Hemsworth and Harrelson , you'll want to watch this one ; they previously shared scenes in The Hunger Games film franchise. There are still nice scenes to see such as the saloon confrontation in similar style to Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven , the impressive final duel and other sparkling set pieces . It also results to be surprisingly gory along with a handful of violent and breathtaking action scenes . It results to be a thunder stuff with a strong star cast . The actors supporting who accompany the lead roles are fine , mostly acting decently , such as : Alice Braga , Emory Cohen, Felicity Price , William Sadler , Chris Baker , Chris Berry and Raphael Sbarge

It displays colorful and riveting cinematography by Jules O'Loughlin , reflecting wonderfully the landscapes and the little town environment, being heavily filmed in state park Florewood, and Greenwood, Mississippi . Evocative and appropriate musical score by Craig Eastman. The motion picture was finely written by Matt Cook who produced as well and compellingly directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith .The latter is a good actor and director , known for Wish you were here (2012), Animal Kingdom (2010) , Wolf Creek (2016) and he has shot various episodes of notorious TV series . He's married to Felicity Price who in "The duel¨ plays an important role as Noemi . Rating : Good, it's competent enough, a straightforward entertainment that results to be an intriguing story turned into an OK actioner Western. However , this is definitely an adult-oriented flick because of the violence, amount of gore and some profanity language on hand. It's one of the best Western films of the last years. A must see for every enthusiast of a decent action western movie.

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.