'Napoleon' review: Stylish story with a message for our times

Joaquin Phoenix stars in 'Napoleon'. Ridley Scott’s biopic of the famous French emperor and military commander looks like a heavy, sprawling war movie but is also a funny, political farce. — Photos: AppleTV

It may be surprising to hear that Ridley Scott’s new historical epic Napoleon is funny – intentionally so. Utilising the unique performance qualities of his star Joaquin Phoenix, and a screenplay by David Scarpa, Scott’s biopic of the famous French emperor and military commander is a political farce in the vein of Scottish satirist Armando Iannucci, the genius behind In The Loop, Veep and The Death of Stalin.

That impish humour provides a tonal contrast to the look and feel of this sprawling film, in which Scott has put every cent of his substantial budget (courtesy of Apple Studios) on screen, especially in the form of spectacular hats that seem to get bigger and bigger and more plentiful as the film progresses.