10 More Amazing Roles Ruined By Terrible Acting

Having the great Joaquin Phoenix step into the role of Emperor of the French Napoleon Bonaparte seemed like the recipe for yet another captivating and colourful performance from the Oscar-winner. However, the turn that eventually landed on screens in 2023 caught just about everyone off-guard, for all the wrong reasons.

Throughout Ridley Scott's historical drama, which tells the story of the fascinating military leader's rise and fall, and explores his intense relationship with his wife, Phoenix just mumbles his way through the 157-minute runtime and acts like a petulant oddball - one who doesn't feel anything like a leader known for inspiring his troops. 

Now sure, it's evident the director and star weren't exactly looking to put the historical figure on a pedestal by any means, but the end result just left viewers with a Phoenix performance that was far less theatrical and striking than the one they were likely hoping for heading into this ultimately quite divisive picture.

It also doesn't help that the actor is noticeably a lot older than Napoleon would have been during big chunks of the film, too.

All in all, Phoenix and Scott took a properly intriguing icon and eventually just created a bit of a jarring oddity.