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Napoleon (2023)

 

Napoleon is an epic that goes through the rise and eventual fall of famous French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte played by Joaquin Phoenix. 

Directed by Ridley Scott, the film doesn't have acts like what you'd expect from a story but instead just goes back and forth from wartime to love time with Napoleon's love Josephine. The film is wonderfully directed and choreographed. Full immersion included. This wasn't the first time we had seen Scott and Phoenix work together as they had done Gladiator twenty-three years before.

Phoenix has a range that could have been tapped into better. He kept a very stern look on his face, and perhaps that was what Napoleon was like. It's not very cinematic and felt more biographical even though there was no attempt at an accent. His on-screen chemistry with Vanessa Kirby is very much there and he knows how to command a room with just his presence, something I imagine Napoleon was able to do. Speaking of Vanessa Kirby, she is at the time of writing my favorite actress working in Hollywood. She's not only gorgeous to look at but she has a way of playing both strong and vulnerable women. 

The film is long, with trailers, I was at the theater for over three hours. I heard there was going to be a four-hour directorial cut that Scott has become known for with Blade Runner. I don't feel the need to watch the four-hour cut. Even though it's long, the production, acting, and immersion help. Result: B




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