Napoleon (B or 3/4 stars)
Joaquin Phoenix stars in Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon', an old-fashioned action epic about the checkered rise & fall of the famed French Emperor. 85(!) yr. old Scott has made some of the most iconic films of all-time: Gladiator, Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Black Hawk Down, The Martian, & more. His vast filmography is the kind that most directors could only dream of. 'Napoleon' is right in Scott's wheelhouse: the sweeping historical epic. But to that, if you only have a perfunctory knowledge of Bonaparte's life, then you might find yourself a bit behind the eight ball while watching.
Scott & scripter David Scarpa have constructed what ends up being "Napoleon's greatest hits". Sure, we get a plethora of key battles, his overwrought relationship with Josephine de Beauharnais, his exile, etc. But we don't get is a deep understanding of who Napoleon was beyond being zany, ambitious & excelling at military tactics. The plot jumps from one historical point to another with little build-up or explanation; to the point where we feel like we're missing some integral narrative connecting tissue. And so, we get a handsome looking, well-acted 158 min. film of loosely-tethered vignettes.
'Napoleon' also contains bizarre shifts in tone. That said, I thiiiiink that is on purpose. Scott knows that history buffs want to see the grim, grisly, super-serious battles, but Napoleon was also quite the petulant buffoon ... scarily so. So thanks to Scott's playful humor & Phoenix's performance, we are treated to jolts of unexpected, quirky comedy. But yeah, the battle sequences are spectacular, and where Scott breads his butter -- the man knows how to juggle larger-than-life spectacle.
The Siege of Toulon, the ice-bound Battle of Austerlitz, & the pulverizing battle at Waterloo are fiercely, violently & strikingly presented. At Waterloo, we watch as the Duke of Wellington (Rupert Everett) leads the English to masterful victory. As Napoleon, Joaquin Phoenix shows the man's headstrong strengths, quivering weaknesses, & unbridled eccentricities to good effect. That said, as directed by Scott, Phoenix's power-grabbing, bombastic portrayal keeps a lid on imbuing empathy or complexity. Vanessa Kirby comes off even better as the intoxicating, contradictory, & eventually tragic aristocrat-turned-Empress Josephine. Great as the battle scenes are, I craved more from the peculiar Napoleon/Josephine romance than what we got.
On a technical level, 'Napoleon' is exemplary. The sharp cinematography, lavish sets, sound design, make-up {Marie Antoinette's beheading is an eye-opener}, astounding costumes & grand scale are off-the-charts superb. I just wish that we got more than just serviceable knowledge of the crass, yet passionate monarch & historic, yet loving relationship with Josephine. More a success in its particulars than the 'whole', the sub-average storytelling diminishes the effect of the amazing spectacle & stellar performances on display. Perhaps the much ballyhooed 4 hour version of this movie - soon the be released on Apple+ streaming - will fill-in the gaps that can make this good-ish motion picture more of a substantial & cohesive home run.
Scott & scripter David Scarpa have constructed what ends up being "Napoleon's greatest hits". Sure, we get a plethora of key battles, his overwrought relationship with Josephine de Beauharnais, his exile, etc. But we don't get is a deep understanding of who Napoleon was beyond being zany, ambitious & excelling at military tactics. The plot jumps from one historical point to another with little build-up or explanation; to the point where we feel like we're missing some integral narrative connecting tissue. And so, we get a handsome looking, well-acted 158 min. film of loosely-tethered vignettes.
'Napoleon' also contains bizarre shifts in tone. That said, I thiiiiink that is on purpose. Scott knows that history buffs want to see the grim, grisly, super-serious battles, but Napoleon was also quite the petulant buffoon ... scarily so. So thanks to Scott's playful humor & Phoenix's performance, we are treated to jolts of unexpected, quirky comedy. But yeah, the battle sequences are spectacular, and where Scott breads his butter -- the man knows how to juggle larger-than-life spectacle.
The Siege of Toulon, the ice-bound Battle of Austerlitz, & the pulverizing battle at Waterloo are fiercely, violently & strikingly presented. At Waterloo, we watch as the Duke of Wellington (Rupert Everett) leads the English to masterful victory. As Napoleon, Joaquin Phoenix shows the man's headstrong strengths, quivering weaknesses, & unbridled eccentricities to good effect. That said, as directed by Scott, Phoenix's power-grabbing, bombastic portrayal keeps a lid on imbuing empathy or complexity. Vanessa Kirby comes off even better as the intoxicating, contradictory, & eventually tragic aristocrat-turned-Empress Josephine. Great as the battle scenes are, I craved more from the peculiar Napoleon/Josephine romance than what we got.
On a technical level, 'Napoleon' is exemplary. The sharp cinematography, lavish sets, sound design, make-up {Marie Antoinette's beheading is an eye-opener}, astounding costumes & grand scale are off-the-charts superb. I just wish that we got more than just serviceable knowledge of the crass, yet passionate monarch & historic, yet loving relationship with Josephine. More a success in its particulars than the 'whole', the sub-average storytelling diminishes the effect of the amazing spectacle & stellar performances on display. Perhaps the much ballyhooed 4 hour version of this movie - soon the be released on Apple+ streaming - will fill-in the gaps that can make this good-ish motion picture more of a substantial & cohesive home run.