Ridley Scott’s meandering epic biopic
It’s finally here: Ridley Scott’s Reign of Terror will begin at the box office with his latest epic, Napoleon. A biopic of the infamous leader of France from the late 1790’s into the early 1800s. A man with a certain inferiority complex is on display for all of us through Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. It’s a biopic that follows Napoleon Bonaparte from his rise to his enviable fall into exile. But in between, there are parts where it meanders a bit and has a void that doesn’t seem to live up to some of Scott’s past epics.
The film’s opening scene begins in a world of transition, as the French rebellion is on the rise. We open with Marie Antoinette being beheaded. In the background of all of this, Napoleon Bonaparte watches; at this time, he is just a regular soldier looking for a promotion during the French Revolution. The first twenty minutes of this film work so well. It lays the groundwork for a biopic for the ages. We see a much more anxious Napoleon storm a fort and then follow it up by taking out a group of British naval ships. This task launched Napoleon to the forefront of the French military during the revolution.
But in between that and the next few battle sequences, the film does hit a weird stride. Napoleon’s personal life is shown, most importantly the marriage to his wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby), which falls into shambles as it is discovered that she can’t conceive a child, thus effecting the idea of there being an heir to his throne. It’s a dramatic plot point of the movie that is oftentimes met with some subtle comedy. The sex scenes are quick and meant to allude to a small chuckle as Josephine has a look on her face of being unsatisfied, and it almost seems like she has checked out of the relationship.
A lot of the political side of his rise to power is hard to follow. It’s almost best to read up on it after viewing the film to have some things make better sense. And it’s here that you can maybe join in on the historical inaccuracy arguments that are plaguing the movie at the moment. The scenes that don’t show you how brilliant of a general on the battlefield Napoleon was are the ones that hurt the movie. They don’t feel linear; they feel sparse and just start and end. Some carry into the following scene, but the pacing of it all is a bit of a snore. Nothing feels really tied together in these two and a half hours.
But let’s talk about what lifts the movie up for a second. Ridley Scott is not a rookie at epic battle scenes, and Napoleon delivers on that. Despite one sequence in the movie, it is hard to decipher what is CGI and what is practical. It’s a testament to what Scott can pull off in this phase of his career. As a matter of fact, it steals the movie. Even some brief battle sequences, like the French firing a cannon at the Pyramids of Giza as a warning shot that they meant business.
And yet, it is the sequence with the most CGI that lifts this movie back up in its midway point. The depiction of Napoleon’s army in battle with Russia and Austria. We see glimpses of it in the trailer as he traps his enemies on a frozen lake and fires cannons at them to break the ice and have them fall to their deaths. It’s the most brutal part of the movie, and yet any adult can stomach it.
Scott has given us tougher scenes to watch in his films. And yet it is also followed up with another scene with offbeat humor as Napoleon is met by the Austrian leader in what feels like a civil post-battle surrender by them. They share a toast after killing each other’s men.
Joaquin Phoenix has been better, quite honestly. There are many other roles in which he really is on another level in his filmography. And yet, it’s hard to imagine another actor playing this role. His mannerisms line up with the inferiority complex Napoleon was known to carry. But he’s very monotone and doesn’t have a French accent. As a matter of fact, there is a lack of French language or accents in the movie. It kind of hurts it.
Time will tell where this ranks in the filmography of Ridley Scott. It isn’t a misfire, but it is a nice biopic if it came out in the early 2000s. For two and a half hours, we see both Napoleon on the battlefield, and then we see him at his home in a failing marriage—nothing really in between. We don’t get to know Napoleon, the man, or what makes him tick. It’s kind of his greatest hits on display here.
Ridley Scott may have one of the best crews in the industry, as the set and costume design are on point. But the through line of the story is clunky at best. When the credits roll, you feel like you’re just missing something from a director who is known for great epic biopics.
Read More: Napoleon Ending Explained
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Verdict - 6/10
6/10