The modern filmography of Ridley Scott has been an eclectic collection of hits and misses. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why one specific film from the acclaimed director ends up working or another doesn’t, but they all start from the same place: epic dramas with large casts and intense intrigue. Scott’s vision is always bold and go-for-broke, which means you’re either going to get something virtuosic or something broken.
Two years ago, the disparity was on full display in the dual-release of House of Gucci and The Last Duel, the former being a bloated and messily campy take on a fashion empire and the latter being an intense and multidimensional medieval three-hander. Now, we have Napoleon, the latest in a slew of period pieces from Scott and his most ambitious since 2000’s Gladiator. Fans have been itching to see if his take on the French tactician would bring the director back to his former war-driven glory, but all it does is remind us of how far he has fallen.
Napoleon tracks the rise and utter fall of the military general turned Emperor of France between 1793 and 1821. It all begins with the death of Marie Antoinette and the birth of the French Revolution, which presents Captain Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) the opportunity to rise through the ranks. He presents a strategy to recapture a harbor in the city of Toulon, a vital resource should the French intend to maintain military dominance.
Distant and blunt, Bonaparte radiates a strange energy compared to his high society colleagues – in no small part due to Phoenix’s unique presence as an actor – but little of that matters after he is victorious in his siege. Scott’s rendering of Bonaparte’s first major victory is tremendous, captured on a scale that no other filmmaker could helm. Hundreds of extras, earth-quaking sound design, and impressively clean visual effects immerse audiences in the brutal, bloody, and at times gory realities of the French military theater.
At this onset, it appears Napoleon is going to become a rousing war thriller with political elements. However, this is quickly sidelined with the introduction of Josephine (Vanessa Kirby), a confident and salacious woman whose first husband went to the guillotine. After Bonaparte retrieves his saber (it’s not really his, it’s one of many taken from murdered men, but she’s none the wiser), they begin a flirtatious back-and-forth that leads to marriage.
It is here that Scott hones in on his deconstruction of Bonaparte, one of history’s most successful military leaders and simultaneously one of its most petulant manbabies. Phoenix’s performance slowly comes off the rails despite being played completely straight, oscillating between false confidence, whiny arrogance, and sexual impropriety. It’s a hilarious portrayal of borderline comic genius, however, it is not supported by the rest of the film. The remaining, uninspired ensemble keeps every moment measured, even those of comedy, and the film’s larger-than-life battle sequences and overwritten affairs of the Royal Court belong to a more straightforward war drama.
This renders a film in two, maybe even three halves. On one side is the film’s wide-spanning period drama, brought to life with a drab color palette and conventional cinematography. The second is Bonaparte’s love story, where repetitive emotional beats and tonally erratic pacing make a complex relationship even more confused. The third, and by far the most compelling, is a farcical takedown and mockery of Bonaparte’s smug facade and, by extension, his legacy as a historical figure.
Cut down to two hours and 38 minutes from a surely more sprawling (and more boring) four-hour director’s cut, Napoleon is a film constantly at war with itself. Its insistence on hopping between all three modes makes none of them feel fully formed, while the very foundation of its exploration never establishes a watchable protagonist or love story outside of its fleeting moments of gut-busting hilarity – which, themselves, never quite feel as intentional as they ought to. You almost feel bad for Kirby, an immensely talented actress who is given a significant historical figure to chew on. However, the material fails her, boiling her down to Bonaparte’s life partner and little else.
By the time we reach the third act, largely dedicated to Bonaparte’s disastrous defeat in Russia and exile to the island of Elba followed by an even more long-winded return to France and subsequent defeat at Waterloo, Scott’s latest botched excuse for a biopic has long outstayed its welcome. In a moment where many old guard filmmakers insist on keeping their careers on life support with formless, slow-moving epics, it has become achingly clear that Ridley Scott especially continues to coast on his capital.
Napoleon opens exclusively in theaters nationwide on November 22, courtesy of Sony Pictures. It will be available to stream on Apple TV+ at a later date yet to be determined.
By the time we reach the third act, largely dedicated to Bonaparte’s disastrous defeat in Russia and exile to the island of Elba followed by an even more long-winded return to France and subsequent defeat at Waterloo, Scott’s latest botched excuse for a biopic has long outstayed its welcome.
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GVN Rating 4
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Larry Fried is a filmmaker, writer, and podcaster based in New Jersey. He is the host and creator of the podcast “My Favorite Movie is…,” a podcast dedicated to helping filmmakers make somebody’s next favorite movie. He is also the Visual Content Manager for Special Olympics New Jersey, an organization dedicated to competition and training opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities across the Garden State.