I walked out of the theater absolutely fascinated with this film. Admittedly it’s kind of a messy acquired taste, but in retrospect that only reinforced my admiration for Napoleon as an ambitious work of genius.
Following the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix), director Ridley Scott and writer David Scarpa show an unflattering portrait of a man that would become Emperor of France and have a series of conflicts/wars named after him; the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). Historically regarded as a military genius who was able to build up France’s army into a feared conquering force. He was also known as a war monger, narcissist and a master propagandist. Scott chooses to tell the story of Napoleon as an insecure tyrant on and off the battlefield.
Most of the film is focused on his marriage to Joséphine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby) and their abusive and codependent relationship. This relationship is in fact the heart of the movie. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how epic the battle sequences were, but award worthy sequences are only secondary to the tale of Napoleon and Joséphine. It’s all so captivating, no matter how deranged things get between them, due to Scott, Phoenix and Kirby’s willingness to take giant swings, resulting in performances which slightly invoke Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Blasphemy, I know.
Scott definitely has a specific story he wants to tell here. Within the first forty minutes it is quite apparent where his loyalties lie. And once I understood the satirical framing at play, the unhinged feel of the film became something I never wanted to look away from. The fact that Scott seems more enamored with Napoleon’s toxic relationships with both his wife and the men he leads into battle, than simply retelling another 1000% historically accurate biopic snoozer, is honestly delicious. I sat in my seat and ate it all up. The more awkward, the better.
Final Thought: There is so much packed into this two-hour and thirty-eight-minute film and I wish it would have been longer. If for nothing else than to bring a bit more balance and connective tissue into this near perfect film. While we see Napoleon’s childish personality on full display, a historically relevant look at how close he was to his mother (a well-documented fact) would have added context. Napoleon was also known for being a charismatic leader. We see him lead, but barely get a taste of his charisma, as to why so many men were more than willing to die for him. So, despite the criticism this film is receiving (due to inaccuracies) and how it is very apparent while watching that there is a longer (arguably more perfect) version of Napoleon out there (Scott has already promised an over 4-hour long cut, which will be released on Apple TV+), the film that I saw should see award consideration.
Follow me on X (Twitter) @moviesmarkus and Instagram @moviesmarkus1
MOVIESMARKUS 