Civility, chivalry, and hilarity in the same flick.
Ah, dueling, that somehow chivalrous act of challenging another person to a fight to the death over some social slight or personal kerfuffle. In the days of Lords, Dukes, and other such “nobility,” the duel was all the rage, considered a fool-proof way to settle any dispute and an honorable death to whichever party found themselves the loser.
In The Duel at Blood Creek, a 14-minute short written and directed by Leo Burton for 3 Barrels Media, the popularity becomes a problem when a score of duelists show up at the same spot, at the same time, for the same purpose: dueling, naturally. This is the set-up and the payoff is a series of witty, quirky, and barbed exchanges between the various participants that eventually devolves into all out combat. Plus, there’s a comedic twist at the end, a final punchline if you will, that serves as a well-timed rimshot.
The film won numerous festival awards upon its release seven years ago, and was also a Vimeo Staff Pick that to-date has racked up more than 300,000 views. Not bad for a short shot in just two days. I hereby challenge you to watch it (insert glove slap across the face here).