Napoleon

 

 

   Director Ridley Scott reunites with star Joaquin Phoenix to bring Napoleon Bonaparte to vivid life. Mr. Scott's bombastic direction serves him well in the recreated battle scenes and Mr. Phoenix's chemistry with co-star Vanessa Kirby as Napoleon's great love, Josephine combine for an epic story.

   Screenwriter David Scarpa's script is a Reader's Digest condensed version (remember those?) of Napoleon's adult life squeezed into a two and a half hour film. It faithfully recreates famous battles and the complicated love story of Napoleon and Josephine. He does take liberties with timelines and alters certain events for dramatic effect and while not historically accurate, they serve the film well.

   Mr. Phoenix is excellent in the starring role. He coveys Napoleon's complexities well and adds a bit of his own quirkiness to the part. And Ms. Kirby plays Josephine with just the right balance of vulnerability and strength.

    Co-stars include Tahar Rahim (so good in Netflix's "The Serpent"), Ben Miles, Edouard Phillpponnat, Paul Rhys, and Rupert Everett as the Duke of Wellington. These actors stand out in a large cast but with the film's main focus on Napoléon and Josephine, everyone else is really pushed to the background.

   Mr. Scott's battle scenes are amazing, employing thousands of actual actors to wage war. Visual effects and even animation are seamlessly added in to bring the battles to bloody life. I do take issue with the many horses used in the film without the disclaimer that "no animals were harmed in the making of the film". While the credits do mention two veterinarians on set, it seems hard to believe that horses were not injured in many scenes. 

   The film is an Apple production and will eventually find it's way to Apple+ streaming. Due to it's scope though, I highly recommend seeing it on the largest screen possible. It's spectacular in IMAX.