a:1:{i:0;s:21:
Napoleon Movie Review: Most filmmakers wouldn’t describe their comfort zone as making high-budget historical epics, but then again, few are like Ridley Scott. With sweeping dramas such as Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven and The Last Duel on his CV, the 85-year-old is no stranger to soldiers, swords and sandals. So his 28th feature on the life of the French emperor, military leader and despot Napoleon Bonaparte signals a perfect marriage of maker and material.
21 of the most expensive Disney movies ever made
Lifestyle
SAG-AFTRA strike: All about the historic protest and how it impacted Hollywood
Lifestyle
Napoleon movie review: What to expect
It begins with a beheading. In 1793, the guillotine sends Marie Antoinette’s head tumbling during the French Revolution, while young gunner Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) watches on with lofty ambitions to gain power. After success in the Siege of Toulon – the film’s first show-stopping battle sequence – Napoleon swiftly progresses through France’s military ranks and corridors of power. As a Corsican, he is an outsider, but he quickly finds kinship in Martinique-born widow Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby), and the pair climb the social ladder as quickly as they fall in love.
As the film spans decades of dense history, battles from the Napoleonic Wars punctuate domestic and period drama. After wasting little time with military campaigns in Toulon, Austria, and Egypt, the story reaches the coup when Napoleon boldly puts France’s crown on his own head – and then it’s back to the battlefield for more extraordinarily orchestrated action.
Vanessa Kirby as Empress Joséphine.
Scott’s direction shows a gift for remaining coherent amid the chaos of battle. As audiences are thrillingly thrust between cannons and cavalry, the brutal realities hit hard, especially when the grisliest end of all is met by a horse early on. In particular, the frozen surface of Satschan ponds, seen during the Battle of Austerlitz, gives Scott and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski the perfect canvas to paint some of the film’s most striking images.
In his first collaboration with Ridley Scott since 2000’s Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix lends gravity to nearly every frame and is an immaculate fit for Napoleon. In characteristically commanding fashion, the Oscar-winner expertly calculates a portrayal of a man at odds with the emperor lionised by history, frequently painting him as an insecure leader and man of contradiction.
In the process, Napoleon’s best skirmishes are of the domestic variety, thanks to Phoenix’s co-star, Vanessa Kirby. In scenes at home with the Bonapartes, Kirby has a screen presence of equal measure to Phoenix, which is no mean feat when her character’s story of struggling to bear an heir involves fewer swords and cannons.
Take a look at the highest-grossing actors of all time
Lifestyle
Review: ‘The Crown’ season 6 part 1 takes on Diana’s untimely death
Lifestyle
In support, Rupert Everett shines in a third act cameo, terrifically entertaining as the sneering Duke of Wellington, a tactician at the Battle of Waterloo. David Scarpa’s script is also enjoyably more blockbuster than a biography, with a second act full of comedy more akin to Scott’s House of Gucci than Gladiator. “Destiny has brought me this lamb chop!” Napoleon retorts in one fracas, and such a light touch is key to preventing the film from being an overly solemn trip down the ruler’s Wikipedia page.
Scott’s first cut of the film was reportedly four hours long, and even with a runtime of 158 minutes, Napoleon risks the scorn of historians. The scale of the story naturally means much is glossed over and a slightly blunt script that gallops – at times quite literally – through Napoleon’s life could imply that Scott is working at a canter. But such concerns are drowned out by sheer cinematic spectacle best exemplified by the closing moments. As blood is spilt at Waterloo, an expertly staged set-piece caps off another large-scale achievement for Scott – and an epic fit for an emperor.
Napoleon movie trailer
Napoleon will be released in cinemas on 24 November 2023 before coming to Apple TV+
(Main and featured images: Napoleon movie/Sony Pictures)
This story first appeared on www.radiotimes.com
© Immediate Media Company London Limited, 2023. All rights reserved. First published on RadioTimes.com and reproduced with permission of Immediate Media Company London Limited. Reproduction in any manner in any language in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited. Radio Times and the Radio Times logo are registered trade marks of Immediate Media Company London Limited and used under licence.
News Related-
Window opens for Zahid to ride off into the sunset – but at Anwar's cost
-
Murder-accused teens 'had preoccupation with torture'
-
A plea for Islamic voices against using human shields - opinion
-
Strengthen MM2H programme, promote multiple entry visa
-
GEG element removed from anti-smoking Bill
-
Health Ministry tables revised anti-tobacco law, omits generational smoking ban
-
Work together with Anwar to tackle economic issues, Perikatan MP tells Muhyiddin and Ismail Sabri
-
Malaysia Airlines launches year-end sale
-
Dr M accuses govt of bribery over allocations
-
Malaysia to check if the Netherlands still keen to send flood experts
-
Appeals court to rule in Isa’s graft case on Jan 31
-
Elephants Trample On Axia With Family Of Three Inside
-
Sirul fitted with monitoring device
-
Nigerian airliner lands at wrong airport