Napoleon (2023) was another one of those massive Ridley Scott epic historical war film things. It starred Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in leading roles, with a lavish production.

There’s a lot of good stuff going on in the film, but also some strange things. It’s quite the odd film, showcasing why Scott is such a great director, but also highlighting that he is past his best (as he was 86 at the time of filming). Plus, then there’s the unusual depiction of Napoleon that just doesn’t sit quite right.

The Life and Violent Times of Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) is on our minds after we read Duff Cooper’s Talleyrand biography. That meant we decided to finally catch up with Ridley Scott’s film.

For the sake of this review, we went off and compiled some information about Napoleon’s characteristics. There are plenty of contemporary historical records around describing who he was as a person. There’s considerable debate between historians about all of this, but was is clear is he had an incredibly memory and was very smart. From Tours in Paris:

“[Napoleon] believed in Humanism, in Enlightenment ideas (sometimes by imposing them on others). He believed in Meritocracy, in Science, in Peace. He outsmarted his enemies so many times with his smaller army that he reformed to make it more mobile, more elitist, and more coordinated.

Napoleon’s personality evolved according to the environment : Napoleon is not the same man when he is in Paris, running the country, or during a battle, leading a charge with his men.

He also made many changes since his introverted childhood in Corsica to his extraverted glorious moments as an Emperor. He changed after his divorce, after losing the war. Until his demise, he was left alone, unwanted, desperate, isolated and exiled.”

A complex and evolving character, then, with the continued joke about him suffering from short man syndrome (“Napoleon Complex”). He was nicknamed Le Petit Corporal, but records suggest he may have been 5’7″ or so. Average height, then, not the 5’2″ legend would have it.

All of the above makes Joaquin Phoenix’s depiction of Napoleon sit a bit uneasy for us. There’s something a bit off about it (as fine an actor as Phoenix can be). What we see with this depiction is an immature, emotionally stunted man baby with flights of bravery, occasional cunning, but more bumbling bravado than anything else.

The film begins in 1793 in the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette is guillotined, then Maximilien Robespierre (responsible for The Terrors) is removed and guillotined.

From there, Napoleon begins his unstoppable rise. Along the way he marries Joséphine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby), who is occasionally unfaithful on his as he tours the world conquering nations.

When not having childish temper tantrums and being weird, Napoleon is breezing through nations conquering them.

Such as in Egypt, via blowing up part of the pyramids (yes, this happens, Ridley Scott explained it away as speeding up the narrative to show Napoleon defeat Egypt).

Now, obviously, even if you have almost now historical knowledge you’ll know the pyramids are fine. That bit is in the plot as there’s three hours to work with across a complex story, meaning viewers get a massively compressed slice of world history. And we do think this would have worked better as a TV series, allowing to delve further into those complexities.

Regardless, it is what it is and the horrific and spectacular nature of many battle scenes take the film into different territory.

Things also pick up when the Duke of Wellington arrives in the narrative, played brilliantly by the awesome Rupert Everett (so fantastic as George Prince of Wales in The Madness of King George). Although these two never did meet each other in real life.

This does raise another issue, the historical accuracy one. Napoleon is all over the place with that, bending reality to suit its whim. This is now France’s version of Braveheart (whether they like it or not).

Reviewed as a film then this has many highs, lows, and random stuff in between. It’s good, but not great, and at its best with the unusual sparring between Phoenix and Kirby.

Ridley Scott sure know show to shoot a film, too, and with cinematographer Dariusz Wolski the result is amazing to look at. Just the substance of the plot, the odd pacing and tone, make a mixed bag of a film.

If you go in to watch the film as a dark comedy then it’ll make more sense. If you want it to be a sweeping historical depiction of this complex, brilliant, depraved man then you’ll be baffled by the strange caricature that follows. Very odd, then, but without doubt unique and memorable. Just not always in the best of ways.

The Production of Napoleon

The budget was between $130-200 million and it made $222.4 million at the global box office. The film has since had its rentals run on streaming services, Blu-ray releases, and is on AppleTV+. Apple claims the film has been profitable, but it wasn’t a mammoth success.

Scott is incredibly efficient at these big productions shoots and the film was wrapped up in just 62 days. Phenomenal, really, given the logistics of everything involved.

Despite its France heavy setting, much of the shoot took place in England in Lincoln across March 2022. Lincoln Cathedral was overhauled by the crew in seven days, making it look like Notre-Dame de Paris. The crew also went to Malta for three weeks, plus the bits supposed to be in Egypt were filmed in Morocco.

Since its launch the film has had a mixed reaction from film critics and film buffs. Some like it, others don’t, but we can’t find anyone who really raves about it as a 10/10 type experience.

It’s certainly nowhere near this acclaim director’s best pieces of work. But it is intriguing, we’ll give him that, and well worth watching so you can make your own mind up.