Ridley Scott has directed the biographical film entitled Napoleon with Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. David Scarpa is the screenwriter. The cast includes Vanessa Kirby as Empress Josephine, the emperor’s first wife, Tahar Rahim, Rupert Everett, Ian McNeice, and Paul Rhys.
The film chronicles the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte to ruling France in the eighteenth century and his downfall after a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. In the midst of his conquests, he marries and tries to conceive an heir with his first wife. As most great men of history, Napoleon is revealed to be a rather strange and temperamental fellow. He also is quite dangerous, which is effectively depicted in this film.
The film is better than many of the recent offerings I have seen, however there are also some disappointments. A lot of scenes often felt cut too early. It was too hard keeping some of the other figures straight and determining who was significant outside of Napoleon. I often felt there were some events that could have used a little further exploration and context. It seems strange to say this since I am often complaining about movies dragging, however this particular one seems to have a way of tearing through the story at too much of a breakneck pace at times.
The battle sequences were extraordinary though. The scenery and period costumes were stunning. It did have a great look most of the time. Scott didn’t shy away from the gruesome consequences of having a horse struck in the chest with a cannonball, for example. I can appreciate the attempt to highlight the stark and gory realities of war, but it was a little tough to watch some of those battles.
Joaquin Phoenix is a talented performer, but I think he was undercut a bit by the frantic shift in scenes at times. His ability to command a movie like this is diminished only by the editing choices. Vanessa Kirby does fine as well, but it was hard to sense any real spark of chemistry between the two of them together. Once again, I think that was handicapped by the abruptness in a lot of the scenes.
Also, Napoleon isn’t the most sympathetic of historical figures. Phoenix endowed his performances with some strange mannerisms. I am not sure of the accuracy of the portrayal since I by no means an expert historian concerning this period or Napoleon. I suspect it plausible that Phoenix was pretty close to the target in his performance.
Overall, the film does have some bright spots, but I have to confess some surprising disappointment and frustration with Ridley Scott’s latest offering. The film felt like it only scratched the surface of the complexities of the period and Napoleon’s psyche. There was little revelation as to his background and motivations. This film felt replete with missed opportunities to make it more compelling. Napoleon is one of the most recognizable names in history, yet Scott’s film falls short on making him seem more fascinating. Napoleon just seemed a little weird and unpleasant at times, and I was just hoping for something a little deeper than that.
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