Dune: Part Twobrought a new style of cinematic combat to the sci-fi action genre. Amid the story of religious insurgency and manipulative prophecies is an all-out tale of intergalactic war. Despite the futuristic technology, the battles inDuneare fought in close quarters, with short knives and armor. Viewers are introduced to this concept in the exciting training fight between Gurney (Josh Brolin) and Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) inDune.
The scene introduces audiences to the shield technology that protects soldiers within the franchise. Viewers assumed the scene’s only purpose was establishing the technology and showcasing Paul and Gurney’s combat prowess. However, the unassuming scene plays a much larger role in the wider story and foreshadows Paul’s fate at theend ofDune: Part Two.
Paul Atreides Used Gurney’s Tactic in His Climactic Duel With Feyd-Rautha
Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve made a bold choice to closeDune: Part Twowith a one-on-one duel. The entire film had been building up to a grand-scale clash between Paul’s Fremen army and House Harkonen, backed by the Emperor’s soldiers. Although we see glimpsesof this battle, the true war is fought in a classic duel between Paul Atreides and Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). The duel is an expertly choreographed piece of action cinema. A constant back and forth highlights the skills of both characters, and it is frequently unclear who will best their opponent and win.
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Towards the end, Feyd-Rautha gains the upper hand, slowly beating Paul’s defenses. Eventually, Feyd-Rautha lands (what he believes to be) the killing blow,stabbing Paul Atreides. Villeneuve keeps audiences on the path of believing this is how Paul will die. But Feyd-Rautha becomes overconfident. In doing so, he loses focus, and Paul quickly pulls the blade from his stomach and kills Feyd-Rautha with it. This scene draws obvious visual parallels with the training duel inDune.That scene sees an overconfident Paul lose the fight as Gurney sneakily lands the killing blow after being knocked on his back.
“It’s a bit like a chess player who does several moves in advance to kill the king. It’s the same thing!”
Denis Villeneuve has stated he wanted the duels inDuneto feel like a chess matchbetween two warriors. Both movies had already established that Paul and Feyd-Rautha were phenomenal physical fighters, meaning the final duel would come down to a battle of strategy. Feyd-Rautha stabbing Paul directly mirrors Paul knocking down Gurney. Both characters then stand confidently over their incapacitated opponent, expecting the kill to be definite and dropping their guards. Then, in a quick twist – which Villeneuve expertly hides with clever camerawork – thefate of the duelquickly shifts as Paul uses Feyd-Rautha’s hubris against him, just like Gurney did to him.
Dune: Part Two’s Duel Highlights Paul’s Growth as a Warrior and Leader
This parallel isn’t just a clever method of foreshadowing. It also highlights Paul’s strengths as a leader.Paul Atreides is reluctant to leadthe Fremen for most ofDune: Part Two. This reluctance causes him to condemn his connections with Fremen prophecies and try to live humbly as a Fremen soldier with Chani. However, the duel exemplifies Paul’s intelligence, which is one of many reasons he is a natural leader.
Paul never makes the same mistake twice, and the parallels between these duels exemplify this quality. This fact is even proved inDune. Paul’s duel with the Fremen soldier, Jamis, shows that Paul has already learned from his training with Gurney. Despite having the opportunity to kill Jamis on multiple occasions, he doesn’t proceed with the same arrogance he did in training and keeps his guard up.
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Paul’s duel with Jamis is also thematically linked toDune: Part Two’s final fight. Paul Atreides was reluctant to kill Jamis, offering the Fremen the chance to yield on multiple occasions. During that scene, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) notes that Paul has never killed a man. After Paul defeats Jamis, his remorse and guilt for killing someone is instantaneous. However,Dune: Part Twoshows Paul has outgrown this moral blockade and is willing to do whatever it takes to lead the Fremen to true freedom. Paul isn’t overcome with grief and guilt after killing Feyd-Rautha. Instead, his attention directly turns to the Emperor, whom he forces to kiss his father’s ring in a display of dominance and victory.
The final duel inDune: Part Twodoesn’t just call back to Paul’s training duel; it has long-lasting implications for the franchise’s future. The eagerlyanticipatedDune: Messiahwill wrap upDenis Villeneuve’s trilogy and truly flip the audience’s perspective on Paul as the franchise’s hero. Following the duel, Paul has now enveloped the Fremen in an intergalactic war. The film’s dramatic close sees Paul Atreides lead his armies into space to attack the great houses.Dune: Part Twois playing in theaters now.
