Some critics who have seen Napoleon complain that it goes on too long. Nothing could be further from the truth. Condensing in just 147 minutes the turbulent life of the ambitious soldier who went on to become consul and then was crowned emperor of France has merit. And it happens quickly. So much so that one has the feeling that everything develops too quickly and the film sometimes struggles to breathe. The battle sequences are masterful – hats off to the recreation of Austerlitz – and the chemistry of the military with Josefina, which is composed by the great actress that is Vanessa Kirby, would have needed more space to savor a love story of ‘the most complex and exciting. For this reason, it is a great joy that Ridley Scott has revealed the existence of an alternative montage of four and a half hours that does not yet have a destination, although he is confident that it will be on Apple TV, the platform where the film will end after the released in theaters.

Napoleón is pure epic, entertainment worthy of being seen on the big screen. Because of the magnitude of the character played by Joaquin Phoenix, in another performance display that could bring him a second Oscar. His defiant look, a face eager for conquest, hunger and voracious sex; the insecurity before a manipulative mother and a woman who does not give him enough interest and to whom he will return again and again despite publicly repudiating her for not having given him an heir… And especially for Scott, because he is about to- ne 86 continues to demonstrate its excellent narrative pulse and an unprecedented capacity for work that would deserve a more than recognized Oscar for best direction. An award that remains elusive to the master of Blade Runner or Alien after almost six decades of career.

The Briton has materialized the desire to shoot the life of Bonaparte, a project that obsessed Kubrick and ended up frustrated and whose testimony will now be collected by Spielberg in miniseries format. The fever for Napoleon continues. All that is needed is for the interest in his figure to arouse enough motivation in the audience, as the choir did with its army before each battle.