Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” produced and financed by Apple, reunited the filmmaker with Joaquin Phoenix as the European conquering emperor. The film received mixed reviews, but I actually kind of liked Phoenix’s eccentric performance and the subversive way in which Scott told his story. It wasn’t great, by any stretch, but it certainly kept my attention throughout.
One person who isn’t a fan of Napoleon is “Succession” star Brian Cox. In fact, he’s not holding back at how “awful” the film and Phoenix’s performance were:
Terrible. It’s terrible. A truly terrible performance by Joaquin Phoenix. It really is appalling. I don’t know what he was thinking. I think it’s totally his fault and I don’t think Ridley Scott helps him. I would have played it a lot better than Joaquin Phoenix, I tell you that. You can say it’s good drama. No – it’s lies.
Ouch.
The French also hated “Napoleon” for its historical inaccuracies. Do you blame them? Their heroic, and historic, emperor-general was reduced to a mumbling, bumbling Joaquin Phoenix. I’m not complaining. Phoenix’s performance had to be seen to be believed — as Sean Lennon stated, it’s more Napoleon Dynamite than Napoleon.”
Scott’s epic earned very divisive reactions, It wasn’t panned, some critics even loved the film, but it didn’t made a dent during awards season and barely appeared in any top 10 lists. On Metacritic, based on 66 reviews, “Napoleon” has a 64. On Rotten Tomatoes it’s at 57%.
“Napoleon” grossed $61.5 million in the United States, and $159.5 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $221 million. The film cost $200 million to make. Deadline reported this year that the film lost Apple around $16 million during its theatrical run, but made up for it from home rentals.
Meanwhile, we’re likely not getting that promised 4-hour cut anytime soon.