After the first trailer debuted on July 10, 2023, the hype began building for Sony’s 2023 “Napoleon” film starring Joaquin Phoenix as the historical French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
When the film finally debuted in November, the critical and commercial reception was… underwhelming, to say the least.
The worldwide gross barely surpassed the film’s bloated budget (meaning, therefore, that it likely suffered substantial losses given the 2.5 times rule).
Both audiences and critics gave the film middling reviews.
Among the vocal critics of “Napoleon” is none other than renowned veteran actor Brian Cox himself.
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There was one specific aspect of the film Cox took particular issue with — the performance of its lead actor.
Cox went on a long rant about the state of the film industry in a recent appearance at HistFest on April 14.
Eventually, Cox’s ire landed on Phoenix and the latter’s recently-released film.
“Terrible. It’s terrible. A truly terrible performance by Joaquin Phoenix. It really is appalling. I don’t know what he was thinking,” Cox said according to The Standard, a U.K. outlet.
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“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.”
But Cox didn’t stop there. The older veteran actor continued to poke fun at Phoenix to the point of even mocking his name.
“I think he’s well named. Joaquin…whackeen… whacky. It’s a sort of whacky performance,” Cox said.
Cox didn’t appreciate the historical revisionism that took place in the film’s screenplay, noting he had similar criticisms with Mel Gibson’s 1995 film “Braveheart.”
According to historian Dr. Michael Rowe, the 2023 epic was indeed filled with historical inaccuracies.
“There are the numerous inaccuracies: details of Napoleon’s coronation; French bombardment of the pyramids on the Giza Plateau; Wellington’s use of topography at Waterloo; Napoleon leading cavalry charges in person; his presence at the execution of Queen Marie Antoinette; and so on and so forth,” Rowe wrote.
Rowe would continue: “Some of this can be justified as artistic license, with liberties taken to better illustrate a greater truth. But most simply misread the spirit of the age and obscure Napoleon’s wider historical significance.”
The historian added: “But the larger problems with the film are undoubtedly stark: a confused storyline, disjointed and undeveloped scenes, and that fatal lack of authenticity when it comes to Napoleon’s world.
“What a missed opportunity!”
