With blockbuster biopics like Elvis and Oppenheimer still fresh in our memory, Ridley Scott’s latest project, Napoleon, attempts to explore one of the most admired, mythologised, and interesting figures in European history.
Refusing to adopt a purely militaristic or personal perspective, Scott presents us with a Napoleon of contradictions, who readily flits from brutal military success to awkward courtly exchanges. Although ahistorical, this has a distinctly humanising effect as we are intimately led with Napoleon through the highs and lows of his life.
However, the tonal flexibility of the film can also be jarring. The disjointed narrative is buoyed more by chronology than an identifiable plot, and the humour of some scenes toes the line of absurd – it is often only the lead actor Joaquin Phoenix’s magnetism that prevents the fabric of the film from unravelling.
The film’s greatest strength is its battle scenes, which combine stunning cinematography and sound design with near-flawless pacing. Every cannon shot (trust me, there were a lot) boomed through the speakers, demanding your undivided attention.
Joaquin Phoenix’s fantastic performance feels destined for an Oscar nomination, but it is also worth noting Vanessa Kirby’s performance as Napoleon’s long-suffering wife Josephine, which perfectly captured a sense of internal conflict surrounding her devotion to an often absent and cold husband.
‘That could have been three different films’ were my friend’s words as we left the cinema. The unrelenting ambition of this film ultimately pays off, resulting in something undoubtedly imperfect yet highly entertaining.
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