Napoleon (Movie Review)

 ⭐⭐1/2

“If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing.” David Scarpa, accredited screenwriter, seems to have taken this Napoleon quote to heart when writing this. That may seem overly harsh, and perhaps it is, but this seems to encapsulate the overall experience of Ridley Scott’s new movie. To say this delivers nothing isn’t entirely true, as the battle scenes are fantastic and find a way to be gripping even to those squeamish to violence. Set designs and costume designs are all flawless, as you would expect from a movie like this with this sort of budget.

Napoleon is the latest project from legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott, who continues to churn out ambitious projects on a regular basis at the whopping age of 85. Unfortunately, this reeks more of Oscar bait and a gorgeous interpretation of Napoleon’s Wikipedia page rather than any meaningful insight into one of history’s most notorious and bloodthirsty psychopaths.

Even though Ridley Scott is an all-time great filmmaker, his track record over the last twenty years has been somewhat sketchy. Absorbing environments, (generally) strong performances and a refusal to shy away from the inherent brutality and beauty found in violence are all things we’ve come to expect from Scott in the 21st century. In fact, I felt The Last Duel was one of the best films he has ever made and I will die on that hill. While he’s demonstrated firm control over those things in his better movies, he has struggled immensely with restraint, more specifically when it comes to a film’s runtime.

Since the dawn of the new century, more than a fair amount of Scott’s films approach 150 minutes, and while some earn that runtime and accomplish a lot in as many minutes, there are ones like this where it’s simultaneously too long and not long enough. I personally felt every single minute of this film’s runtime and was waiting for the credits to start rolling, but at the same time, this is so scattershot that I don’t think it dives into any one section of his life long enough for us to gain any more understanding than we would get from simply reading his aforementioned Wikipedia page. It would have been far more successful if it focused exclusively on the relationship between Josephine, or even if it told this story through her point of view specifically. It not only would have been the perfect complement to the aforementioned The Last Duel, diving further into how women were perceived as sexual objects for men to project onto, but it would have mined so much more emotional substance from both these historical figures.

Speaking of Josephine, Vanessa Kirby is another undeniable positive of the film, and it’s a shame that her performance and character were not explored to the extent that they deserve. There’s a feminist thread throughout the film that doesn’t get tugged on enough, as she is held prisoner by not only her status as the empress of France, but also by Napoleon’s insecurities and shortcomings as a man and as a husband. Kirby does all that any actor can do to convey this, and she is innocent of all criticisms the film is going to continue to receive.

Joaquin Phoenix has cemented himself as one of the finest actors working today, but I truly don’t know what Scott was having him do here. I can ignore the fact that everyone is speaking English, but it almost sounded like Phoenix was delivering his lines in such a way where the American accent was exaggerated. It’s impossible for Phoenix to give a truly bad performance, but his work here, much like Scott’s surrounding him, is rather underwhelming. On paper, Scott is the perfect guy to direct this, but this lacks much of what would have made it great.