Napoleon (2023) Dir: Ridley Scott
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Ridley Scott's historical biopic looked set to be one of 2023's most exciting films, but its release brought with it tepid reviews and a mediocre global reception. Such as it was, I decided it would be better to wait until this one arrived onto streaming platforms, rather than see it in theatres.
I must begin by addressing something that irritated me immediately. It was impossible to take any of the Anglo-French war scenes seriously, when all the French soldiers spoke with English accents. Surely, it would not have been so difficult to use French accents for French characters? It was just such a bizarre and lazy decision.
From a historical perspective, the film is, quite frankly, maddening. It was riddled with inaccuracies, as Scott took a number of liberties in the name of his cinematic vision - though I would not call it a successful one. It was not as though some of the scenes in question were necessary or entertaining either - they were just there.
Visually, however, the film had a number of absolutely breathtaking shots, particularly during the battles of Austerlitz and, of course, Waterloo. Ridley Scott rarely fails to impress when it comes to the aesthetics of his films, and he once more brings forth a vision of excellence. Sadly, these visuals were the strongest feature of a mediocre film.
The way in which the narrative was told was, for me, unsatisfactory. It seems that Scott wished to build his film around the major conflicts of Napoleon's life, but he failed to create or maintain much, if any, momentum between these events, which were undoubtedly what carried the film.
Joaquin Phoenix's acting can only be described as strange. It was like he was playing three identities in one, which resulted in a disjointed and awkward performance. He was even rather laughable at times, intentionally or not, which, again, contributed to a slightly jarring viewing experience.
Vanessa Kirby was, by some distance, the strongest performer of the film. I don't think Scott's portrayal of her character was particularly well formed, but Kirby's performance certainly was. She was emotive and composed, and emulated the elegance of the time wonderfully.
Aside from these two, there were no substantial roles, although Tahar Rahim, Edouard Philipponnat, Rupert Everett and Miles Jupp provided the most notable of the many far smaller roles, although it's hard to say any of them were overly memorable.
Overall, I can't help but be immensely disappointed in this strange depiction of the life of one of history's most famous leaders. There is so much potential for cinematic gold in his story, but Scott only succeeded in presenting a dreary retelling the man's personal affairs, intermittently split up by some admittedly thrilling, but all too brief, battle sequences.
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