R 2023 War/Action 2h 38m
Napoleon was a short guy with a funny hat, lost the battle at Waterloo and was exiled at some point. Those were the main historical facts I could muster before I saw Napoleon today. At over two-and-a-half-hours, I was a little worried the movie could be a long, dry, period piece. I need not have worried; director Ridley Scott leaned in on his “Gladiator” credentials and created a movie with battles that rival Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan for chaos and gore. Although there is CGI at play, the sweeping landscapes depicted on screen reminded me of Dances With Wolves.
There are plenty of battles throughout the film, but the movie is grounded by the love story between Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) and Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). My biggest gripe with Oppenheimer was how flat all the characters were. Here, the biopic shines by allowing both Napoleon and Josephine to be depicted as people instead of as reinactors. They feel pain, lust and demonstrate humor. Both actors bring their characters to life and I would expect to see both of their names mentioned during awards season. It was a great movie and I did get a better understanding of Napoleon. Spoiler: He does have a funny hat.
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