Napoleon
Napoleon
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles
Directed by Ridley Scott
Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) was a powerful general in the French army who emerged victorious in the epic Siege of Toulon that served as the starting point for his eventual rise to power as the Emperor of France. Along the way he meets and falls in love with Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) and embarks on producing an heir to fill the throne. As his victories mount he becomes more and more powerful as he becomes more and more conceited, leading to a huge error that resulted in his exile, his eventual return, and exile again.
The Good:
Joaquin Phoenix is one of the most capable, talented, and principled actors of our generation, a man who dives head first into any of the projects he finds himself involved in and comes out with a stunning performance. Though the script was a bit light in the viewpoint of the man Napoleon, Phoenix gives him a larger-than-life presence that he was probably known for in real life, and even offers moments of humor mixed into his grandiose performance (his line "You think you are so great because you have boats" is downright hilarious).
The concept of "Napoleon Complex" is the idea that a man of shorter stature has an over-inflated sense of self worth, and comes from the man himself (although historically he wasn't as short as people think he was, people back then were just generally shorter), and you can sense that in the film's sweeping cinematography. Napoleon looks like a small man compared to the setting around him, as he wanders down long hallways or sits in grand rooms that tower above the man's frame. Only when he's in battle does he seem to be equal with those around him, and it's then that you see the pure genius of the man.
These battles are the highlight of the film, as each one is shot with precision and dedication, and Scott doesn't skimp on the gore (in particular the opening Siege of Toulon and what happens to Napoleon's horse is downright terrifying), showing what war really was like back then. Napoleon was the world's greatest tactician and utilized his intelligence to claim victory time and again, and Scott shows these victories in the grandiose style it deserves. Particularly the Battle of Austerlitz, where Napoleon tricked his foes into retreating onto a sheet of ice before blowing the ice below their feet, showcases how intelligent he was, and Scott's visual style shows this in epic proportions, as bodies, horses, and blood fill the frozen lake below.
The Bad:
As Josephine, Vanessa Kirby really doesn't showcase any sort of real emotion or passion. She comes across as someone who is smarter than Napoleon and tries to prove herself as someone even more capable than him in life, and while some moments really "pop," she ultimately falls behind the scenery instead of chewing them out. She's an acclaimed actress who could go toe-to-toe with Phoenix, but here she feels like a shadow in the film, despite her being Napoleon's greatest confidant. Their relationship doesn't feel at all connected, and you don't feel any emotional resonance between them - it's very methodical and tactical, much like Napoleon's battles.
While the battles are great, the moments in-between droll along at a sluggish pace and doesn't really offer anything we don't already know from history books or Wikipedia. Napoleon's rise to power is cool and all but it would've been cooler to find out the behind-the-scenes mechanics of how it all happened, instead of just saying he should be emperor and the next scene it's him becoming emperor. It's not necessarily terrible, but I wanted more out of these moments to give me a deeper sense of the man than what I've read about in history.
Speaking of history, the film is not entirely historically accurate, but that's never been a problem for me. I know going into these films that I'm not getting a history lesson - I'm getting entertained. Yet still many people have complained about this, and I give mad respect to Ridley Scott for his replies - "Get a life," he said, "When I have issues with historians, I ask: 'Excuse me, mate, were you there? No? Well, shut the f*** up then!'" I admire the fact that he doesn't apologize for it but rather points out the obvious, which I said earlier - we're not here for history, we're here for a good time.
The Summary:
Although the moments in-between the epic battles seem a bit under-developed, "Napoleon" rises the ranks of epic biopics with an accomplished performance by Joaquin Phoenix under the tutledge of Ridley Scott.
The Score: A
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