Napoleon review

NAPOLEON: 

JOAQAUIN PHOENIX AND RIDLEY SCOTT’S EPIC ALBEIT NARRATIVELY DISJOINTED 23-YEAR REUNION! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES AND APPLE ORIGINAL FILMS

Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon

 

            Director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, The Last Duel) and Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line, Her, Joker) have reunited for the first time since 2000’s Gladiator in Napoleon, Scott’s latest historical epic based on the story of Napoleon Bonaparte and his rise to power in the 1700s-1800s. Like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon the month prior, the film was given a theatrical release and will premiere on Apple TV+ at a later date. 

            Ridley Scott is always an exciting and fascinating filmmaker even if not all of his movies were gold. For every Alien, Blade Runner, and The Martian there’s a Hannibal, Kingdom of Heaven (Director’s Cut of that movie is way better!), and House of Gucci, but that doesn’t exactly mean his misfires are all bad. 

            I actually enjoyed his Robin Hood movie from 2010 quite a bit, The Counselor is one of his most underrated films IMO, and despite its flaws, I thought House of Gucci was an entertaining watch when I saw it. Because I’m an avid supporter of Scott as a filmmaker even when his movies don’t quite stick the landing, I was excited when Napoleon was announced as his next film after The Last Duel.

            After much anticipation, I can say that Ridley Scott’s Napoleon is…good! Not great, but still a well-crafted historical epic with a lot of admirable elements and the flaws don’t ruin the experience. 

            The film is set during the French Revolution and chronicles the life of army officer turned leader turned emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte (Phoenix) and his rise to power and inevitable fall from grace. The movie also focuses heavily on his addictive, volatile romantic life with Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby-The Crown, Mission: Impossible franchise, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw) thus showing that the man was powerful both on the battlefield and in bed. 

            The film also stars Tahar Rahim (The Eagle, The Mauritanian, Madame Web) as Paul Barras, Ben Miles (V for Vendetta, The Crown, Tetris) as Caulaincourt, Ludivine Sagnier (Swimming Pool, Peter Pan (2003), Lupin) as Thérésa Cabarrus/Madame Tallien, Matthew Needham (Casualty, Endeavor, House of the Dragon) as Lucien Bonaparte, John Hollingworth (The Dark Knight Rises, Transformers: The Last Knight, 1917) as Marshal Ney, Youssef Kerkour (Close, Ron’s Gone Wrong, House of Gucci) as Marshal Davout, Sinéad Cusack (Stealing Beauty, V for Vendetta, Eastern Promises) as Letizia Bonaparte, Phil Cornwell (Blood, Churchill: The Hollywood Years, Made in Dagenham) as Sanson “The Bourreau”, Ian McNeice (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, A Christmas Carol (1999), Foundation) as King Louis XVIII, Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Importance of Being Earnest, Shrek franchise) as Arthur Wellesley, Paul Rhys (Chaplin, From Hell, Saltburn) as Talleyrand, Catherine Walker (The Clinic, Versailles, House of Gucci) as Marie Antoinette, Mark Bonnar (Casualty, Shetland, The Kid Who Would Be King) as Jean-Andoche Junot, Davide Tucci (13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Barbarians) as Lazare Hoche, Sam Crane (The Crown, Desperate Romantics) as Jacques-Louis David, and Abubakar Salim (Jamestown, Raised by Wolves, House of the Dragon) as General Dumas. 

            Overall, Napoleon may not be one of Ridley Scott’s best historical epics as it does have some narrative issues and tonal inconsistences, but the battle sequences are incredible, and Scott’s large-scale direction make it worth experiencing on the big screen. Ridley Scott knows how to make a spectacle in terms of staging, editing, camera work, and effects and Napoleon is no exception with some of the most exhilarating and downright horrific battle scenes I’ve seen from him in a long time, the sequence on the ice in particular being one where I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. 

            The film is also well-acted, despite not doing a French accent Joaquin Phoenix gives a fascinating performance as Napoleon that at times does echo his anarchic Joker performance from 2019 except way more insecure and volatile. Phoenix’s performance brings out the flawed man within this talented military tactician turned emperor, he was great even though it mostly felt like Napoleon became Joaquin Phoenix rather than the other way around. 

            Vanessa Kirby is also a huge standout as his wife, Empress Joséphine who has a very interesting romantic dynamic with Phoenix’s Napoleon as it is a volatile and often unhealthy relationship with a lot of control and for a lack of better word, horniness. I’ve already seen her in things like the recent Mission: Impossible films and Hobbs & Shawand I have to say, this might be the best I’ve ever seen Vanessa Kirby because when she’s on in this movie she is freaking on with one of her best scenes being when she’s reciting dialogue that Napoleon said to her earlier to him and he is sobbing as she’s saying it, the fact that she is acting opposite Joaquin Phoenix in a Ridley Scott epic with tons of characters and battles and she is one of the most memorable things in it is really impressive.

            There are some aspects of the film I have mixed thoughts on, particularly the tone in certain scenes. The movie was marketed as a gritty and dramatic historical epic and while that aspect is very much intact, there are a number of scenes that are also very comedic and played for laughs and while some of them were genuinely funny, others felt a little out of place and maybe slightly going overboard. 

            This is also a 2 ½-hour long movie which certainly isn’t super long compared to other movies released this year, but some events from the story felt rushed or underdeveloped that might have been further elaborated on if it was a 3-hour movie. Maybe if Ridley Scott has a director’s cut planned at some point, these moments will be better paced, but as is these narrative flaws didn’t ruin the movie for me despite being noticeable.

            Napoleon is a gritty spectacle of a historical epic with thrilling battles, strong performances, larger-than-life production design that bring out the size and scope, and a flawed but interesting story. It isn’t among Scott’s best work, but that doesn’t necessarily make it bad either.