The Duel

Actors-turned-directors Luke Roberts and Justin Matthews’ debut film, The Duel, is a zany and hilarious exercise in revenge and toxic masculinity. It tells the story of Colin and Woody, who are best friends in Venice, CA, until Colin (Dylan Sprouse, The Suite Life of Zach & Cody) sleeps with Woody’s girlfriend, Abby. Woody’s reaction is to burn the surfboard that Colin’s late dad made for him and then challenge Colin to a duel to defend his honor. So off they go to San Diego to a collectable weapons emporium run by the eccentric Christof, brilliantly played by Patrick Warburton (The Civilization of Maxwell Bright, FFF 2005). As their friends look for a place for the duel, they party with a hilariously over-the-top cokehead butler/fixer, terrifically played by Christian McGaffney (Simón, FFF 2023), who volunteers the estate of his employer, a Mexican drug lord. As each attempt at reconciliation between the two friends fails, this funny and drug-fueled revenge story touches on the lines that blur between heroism, friendship, and the male ego.