Veteran director Ridley Scott’s latest is this biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte, concentrating mostly on his rise to power and his relationship with Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais. Joaquin Phoenix stars as the Emperor and Vanessa Kirby plays Joséphine.
The three tentpoles of the movie are the spectacular battle scenes of Toulon, which made his reputation, Austerlitz, probably his greatest victory, and Waterloo, which marked his downfall. Scott shows his skills, using hundreds of extras rather than just CGI. It really feels like you are in the bloody action.
The rest of the film does not work so well. There is far too much time spent on Napoleon’s relationship with his wife and his desire to have a male heir. Personally, I would liked David Scatpa’s screenplay to have been more about the political intrigue that enabled him to move from a middle ranking officer to Emperor. But I guess the film is aimed at a general audience rather than history nerds! But, too many characters are introduced and then disappear, giving the film a fractured feel.
Phoenix has never been an actor I have warmed to, and he is nothing more than fine here, though Kirby is better. Of the supporting cast, Rupert Everett makes the biggest impression as The Duke of Wellington.
Made for Apple, this story may have been better suited to being a longer mini series, though the action is best seen on the big screen. For those who enjoyed the tactics shown in the final battle, I would recommend Sergey Bondarchuk’s Waterloo from 1970. Rod Steiger may be a bit hammy, but it has incredible period detail.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10