From a pure filmmaking standpoint, it’s kind of hard to say anything particularly bad about Napoleon. The battle scenes alone are exquisitely realized, with tons of on-location shooting, tons of extras and horses and pyrotechnics, with a great blend of in camera effects and VFX. The sheer scale of the production is immense given the amount of time and number of locations and the size of the cast, so the fact that Ridley Scott is able to manage all this stuff so well that it looks pretty effortlessly constructed as you watch it unfold on screen is truly something worth admiring and shouting its praises.
As far as everything else goes? Well, that’s what makes Napoleon a bit of an interesting case. In collaboration with All The Money In The World screenwriter, David Scarpa, Napoleon follows…well…Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) as he rises the ranks in the French military at an especially tumultuous point in the nation’s history, going all the way through various campaigns in the eventual Napoleonic wars, and his eventual downfall. In addition to touching upon all that, the film explores the rather strange, to put it mildly, relationship he had with his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby).
If that sounds like a lot for one film – even one that clocks in at just over two-and-a-half hours, then you would kind of be right. The film is definitely juggling a lot. And to be frank, you can tell that this thing that been trimmed down within an inch of its life. I’m sure most of the battle coverage has been left in because that’s the big fireworks factory that audiences want to see on the big screen, but the connective tissue is sorely lacking. For as much emphasis the film places on Joséphine, we don’t learn a ton about her, or get a sense of her perspective on things. A lot of the political machinations feels like it was covered out of obligation, with not much context given to why things are happening.
So, yes, the film is messy. However, I ultimately really enjoyed myself. It helps that I like these kinds of historical epics, so it’s already on my good side, even if Scott is quick to favor cinematic embellishment over accuracy. I’m fine with that, I know this isn’t a documentary, it’s an interpretation of the events, or rather an interpretation of Napoleon as a man. And boy, oh boy, what an interpretation this is. It’s hilarious in retrospect seeing these trailers edited like this is 300 or something when in reality, it’s two-plus hours of Scott taking the piss out of Napoleon at every possible opportunity when he isn’t on the battlefield.
It’s a genuinely funny film. Napoleon is weird, he’s such a weasel, he’s insecure, he’s needy, he’s pathetic, and so obsessive over Joséphine. There are some genuine gut-buster moments, little lines that Napoleon will say that totally undoes the facade of this stoic leader, revealing something much more stilted and juvenile. Honestly, Phoenix is not too far off from his performance in Beau Is Afraid from earlier this year. There’s also a couple points where he gets horny for his wife, and starts making these “nom nom” noises at her. I could not get enough of it. It was so funny to watch, especially from something that otherwise looks and feels like your typical serious prestige fare.
Ultimately, Napoleon is very much a messy film. It lacks focus and any thematic interests it had is lost with how much was left on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, Ridley Scott has confirmed a 4 hour director’s cut in the works for the film’s streaming release on Apple TV+, and I feel pretty confident when I say that version will be a significant improvement. But still, despite these issues, I found the film to be quite engaging, if not through the thrilling and awe-inspiring and horrific battle sequences then the general weirdness and farcical moments in between where we see Napoleon act out and expose his insecurities in amusing ways. It also must be said that while the film may not have given a lot of time to explore Joséphine as a character, Vanessa Kirby does a terrific job giving her some sense of life. I especially love some of the glances she gives in the latter half whenever she is visited by Napoleon, Kirby has absolutely perfected the “oh great, it’s him again” look. Martin Phipps’ score is striking and propulsive as well. There’s plenty of good here that I can’t dismiss even if the whole thing doesn’t fully cohere. You gotta love that about Ridley Scott, you never quite know what you’re gonna get.
Napoleon is now out in theaters.