Jim Tomlinson

I was really looking forward to seeing this film, as no-one has ever done it justice before, largely due to the extremely large scale of his career and story. However, never have I been so disappointed by a film. Historical inaccuracies in a historical biopic are simply unforgivable- this was Ridley Scott’s opportunity to leave a film legacy and it failed on all fronts (except perhaps for the casting of the lead actor). What was wrong with it? Too much totally unnecessary sex - its inclusion did nothing to contribute to the story. Too much gory detail. Yes it was war but did it need such graphic shots of people and horses being shot to bits, people being guillotined or Napoleon retrieving a cannonball from a dead horse. NO The battle scenes were totally inaccurate with Napoleon portrayed as leading cavalry charges at both Borodino & Waterloo. A British rifleman offering to shoot Napoleon from the other side of a battlefield when cannon were barely in range. Added to which he had a telescopic sight on his Baker rifle - come on! The Prussian arrival on the Waterloo battlefield was on the wrong flank, they came from Wavre in the east, not from the coast in the west. Wellington meeting with Napoleon - it never happened. Putting the Bellarophon incorrectly alongside in Plymouth denied what would have been an iconic camera shot of the myriad of sightseers that did surrounded the ship in Plymouth Sound. Wellington’s character and lines were like something written by primary school children. The rain at Waterloo was on the previous day and night, 18th June was sunny which is why the a French waited for the ground to dry for cannons to be moved. Oh yes, and neither side had trenches or gun emplacements at Waterloo, so the cry of “over the top lads” was around 100-years too early. Very, very disappointing and Ridley Scott has missed an open goal with this one. There should a golden rule about historical biopics - they need to be true to history. If you know about Napoleon then don’t watch this film because you will be bitterly disappointed. If you don’t know about Napoleon and want to learn about him then don’t watch this film because you will be bitterly disappointed and will look like an idiot if you rely upon it. If you don’t care about historical accuracy, films with a rubbish script with plenty of unnecessary sex and violence and you can’t be bothered to talk about afterwards, then this is the film for you. Sacre Bleau it was absolutely rubbish.