Emperor (2012) User Reviews

Very interesting story about General Fellers who is given the impossible task to investigate the Emperor's role in the lead-up to war,

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 3 May 2014]

This nice movie tells a fictionalized account based on the actual life story of US Army Brigadier General Bonner Frank Fellers who served under General Douglas MacArthur . On the staff of General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy lee Jones), the de facto ruler of Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces, a leading Japanese expert, General Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) is charged with reaching a decision of historical importance: should Emperor Hirohito be tried and hanged as a war criminal? Interwoven is the story of Fellers' love affair with Aya (Eriko Hatsune), a Japanese exchange student he had met years previously in the U.S. Memories of Aya and his quest to find her in the ravaged post-war landscape help Fellers to discover both his wisdom and his humanity and enable him to come to the momentous decision that changed the course of history and the future of two nations.

This is a good drama war with emotion , suspense , thrills , culture clashes , and historical events . The picture contains a marvelous story of love and understanding set amidst the tensions and uncertainties of the days immediately following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II. Excellent cast gives good acting as Fox who plays Bonner Fellers, a general who's sent to Japan to decide if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged for war crimes ; starring alongside him is Eriko Hatsune as Aya Shimada, a woman Fellers romanced years earlier, and Tommy Lee Jones as legendary Us military figure General Douglas MacArthur. The movie displays a colorful as well as adequate photography by Stuart Dryburgh . Emotive and evocative musical score by Alex Heffes . The flick was professionally directed by Peter Webber (Hannibal , The girl with a pearl earring). This true life story was one worthy of big-screen treatment .

The picture is well based on true events , these are the followings : After the war, Fellers played a major role in the occupation of Japan. Among his duties was liaison between HQ and the Imperial Household. Soon after occupation began, General Fellers wrote several influential memoranda concerning why it would be advantageous for the occupation, reconstruction of Japan, and U.S. long range interests to keep the Emperor in place if he was not clearly responsible for war crimes. He met with the major defendants of the Tokyo tribunal. In their research and analysis of events and considerable controversy about the time period, according to historians Herbert Bix and John W. Dower, Fellers—under an assignment by the code name "Operation Blacklist"—allowed them to coordinate their stories to exonerate Emperor Hirohito and all members of his family. This was at the direction of MacArthur, now head of SCAP, who had decided that there was to be no criminal prosecution of the Emperor and his family. He will question the accused Class -A War Criminals such as Wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, Former Prime Minister Konoe, and Koichi Kido while confronting prejudice from a resentful populace and other American soldiers. General Fellers, who came from a Religious Society of Friends family (commonly known as Quakers) and attended the Quaker-affiliated Earlham College, was instrumental in the selection of Elizabeth Vining, an American Quaker educator, as tutor to the Emperor's children. Ms. Vining was followed after 4 years by another Quaker educator, Esther Rhoads.In 1971, Emperor Hirohito conferred on Fellers the Second Order of the Sacred Treasure "in recognition of your long-standing contribution to promoting friendship between Japan and the United States."

A Tale of Two Emperors

[laheyray · 6/10 · 17 September 2012]

Emperor (2012)

In his rule over Japan as Supreme Commander of the occupying forces after World War II, General Douglas MacArthur was probably as benign a dictator as history has recorded. His enlightened policies led to a Japanese post war economic recovery from wartime devastation, and to post-war harmony between Japan and the West that replaced virulent wartime hatred. Emperor deals with his first days in Japan after the Japanese surrender, and in particular, with his momentous decision not to include the Emperor Hirohito among the Japanese war criminals, a judgement made despite political and popular clamor. Allied war propaganda had demonized the Japanese people and Hirohito in particular, and Japanese propaganda had done much the same with the other side. MacArthur's decision became the lynch-pin of his policy there: to respect the cultural differences instead of seeking to override them, and to try to bring together the best that both Japan and the western powers had to offer.

The movie deliberately avoids clarifying which emperor the title refers to. On the surface it may seem to denote Hirohito, but as supreme commander MacArthur had near imperial power, and did not hesitate to use it. The film concentrates on one of his protégés and close advisors, General Bonner Fellers, a Japanese expert on whose opinion MacArthur chooses to rely. Fellers was close to MacArthur, having served with him even before the war. Fellers loved Japan and had visited it, and had produced for the American military a crucial assessment of the Japanese military mind. He had additionally predicted war with Japan well in advance of Pearl Harbour. In real life, Fellers had some connections to Japan, even to the Imperial Household, and he had a close friendship with a former female Japanese exchange student whom he knew from Earlham College in Indiana. He rejoined MacArthur in 1943 and accompanied him during the Supreme Commander's momentous first days in Japan. The film strongly hints that MacArthur had already made up his mind about the treatment of Hirohito, which he almost certainly had, but wanted Fellers to supply the rationale for his decision.

The film has three threads that run throughout: MacArthur's occupation of Japan; Fellers' investigations leading to his written opinion; Fellers' search for his Japanese friend amidst the post-war chaos. It is one thread too many, since while the film juxtaposes these, it does not successfully weave them together. The one exception may be Fellers interview with the Japanese general, supposedly his friend's uncle, since it does much to explain the country's traditions and military attitudes. Director Peter Webber has said quite rightly that MacArthur has not been particularly successfully treated on the screen. In fact, epics like MacArthur (1977) and Inchon (1981) proved to be major disappointments. It seems a shame here that the director and writers Vera Blasi and David Klass did not keep MacArthur as the film's central figure, but instead chose to focus on his subordinate, Fellers.

As MacArthur, Tommy Lee Jones gives an outstanding performance, and the film is worth seeing for that alone. Looking nothing like MacArthur (he didn't try), Jones captures ever bit of "El Supremo's" command and self-confidence, and when he is present on screen, like the General himself, he dominates it. It is just a shame that he doesn't get more screen time. MacArthur is, historically, the man who made the real decisions, and, especially as played by Jones, a figure far more fascinating than Fellers.

By contrast, the part of Fellers (Matthew Fox of "Lost") seems dull, unfocused, and even clumsy, particularly considering the crucial days in which it is set. That is probably not Fox's fault, but a weakness of the screenplay. While the fact that Fellers knew Japan well and was especially friendly with a Japanese girl he had met in college are factors that deserve to enter into the picture, as presented they often tend to be a distraction from its central theme. This is all the more the case since the story of "Aya" appears to contain considerable fiction. Feller's real-life friend from Earlham, Yuri Wantanabe, survived the war, and his connections to Japanese officialdom were probably better than her own. There is the additional fiction that all this is compressed into a ten-day window, when the actual investigations took place over five months.

Still, in playing Aya, Eriko Hatsune renders her subtly, displaying a delicate balance between propriety and concern. Some of the other Japanese actors are equally notable. Especially fine, and especially central to the story, is the portrayal by Masatô Ibu of the Lord Privy Seal, Marquis Koichi Kibo, the highest figure in the Imperial Household and a friend to Hirohito. Ibu is persuasive in presenting a man who attempts to preserve the Emperor's honour – and his privacy – even in the face of the possibility that the Emperor might hang. Masayoshi Haneda also gives a fine performance as Fellers' interpreter and de facto aide. And Takatarô Kataoka is realistic as Emperor Hirohito himself.

The wanderings of the plot are offset in part by the great production values (Grant Major)and fine cinematography (by Stuart Dryburgh). The contrast between the real beauty of Japan and the wartime devastation is particularly effective.

This movie has many good things going for it, particularly Tommy Lee Jones (and MacArthur himself). It's just a pity it didn't capitalize on them more.

Emperor premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2012. It has been acquired for distribution by Lionsgate & Roadside Attractions, but no date for general distribution has yet been announced.

A very tense look at how the fate of Japan was decided after WWII. Jones is great and history buffs will love this. I did. I say B+

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 21 July 2013]

"This country is starving and teetering on the edge of total collapse. It wouldn't take much for the resentment to ignite into revolt and the fate of the emperor could be just the spark." After the Japanese surrender ends WWII the US Government wants to know who was behind the bombing of Pearl Harbor. General Douglas MacArthur (Jones) charges General Bonner Fellers (Fox) with an important mission. Fellers is to decide if Emperor Hirohito should be charged as a war criminal and hung. To make matters even harder Fellers is also searching for his lost love in the midst of the war ravaged country. Being a history buff I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. This movie really shows the tense decision Fellers was charged with, his conclusion really will decide the fate of an entire country as well as relations between the US and Japan. The movie shows the lengths people will go to protect someone they revere as a God and how close the country came to a completely different future. I really enjoyed this being a history buff but I do have to say for people that aren't as interested in this stuff you may find it a little slow. Overall, a very tense look at one of the most important days of post war Japan. I give it a B+.

This is a film that more people should see

[rogerdarlington · 18 May 2014]

This film tells a fascinating story in fine style, but it is difficult to see how anyone thought it was big screen material. Its box office takings were predictably low and it was in theatres so briefly that I had to catch it on DVD which was certainly a worthwhile endeavour.

In 1945, General Douglas MacArthur was made Supreme Commander in American- occupied Japan and one of his first and most momentous decisions was whether or not to execute Emperor Hirohito as a war criminal. For most Americans, there was no debate: Hirohito was the man who endorsed the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor. But, whether or not he backed the war, a case could be made that he was crucially instrumental in bringing about the peace by ordering the Japanese to surrender. Furthermore the hanging of the emperor - still revered by most Japanese as a deity - could well lead to an explosion of violence that would make the occupation by the Americans and the revival of the shattered nation immensely more difficult.

MacArthur commissioned Brigadier General Bonner Fellers to make a study of the emperor's complicity and make a recommendation on execution. Fellers was someone who knew the Japanese well and had considerable respect for their ancient culture. Indeed, before the war, he had fallen in love with a Japanese woman studying in the United States and, even after the war, was anxious to see her again.

This amazing story is told respectfully by British director Peter Webber and writers Brazilian Vera Blasi and American David Klass, drawing on Shiro Okamoto's book "His Majesty's Salvation", in a film that even-handedly represents Japanese perspectives of the time. The acting is first-rate with Matthew Fox (best-known for the TV series "Lost") giving a sensitive performance as Fellers and Tommy Lee Jones perfectly cast as the swaggering MacArthur. Many excellent Japanese actors contribute, notably the lovely Eriko Hatsune as Fellers' girlfriend. Shot on locations in both New Zealand and Japan, high production values make this an admirable viewing experience.

The movie lacks the fast-paced action that many expect from a visit to the cinema and arguably it is overly sympathetic to the Japanese position and somewhat saccharine in its treatment of the romance, but it is a real pleasure to see a work that tells a little- known story of such consequence so well.

The Emperor Strikes Back

[SteveMierzejewski · 7/10 · 30 July 2013]

I thought I might be the only one who found this film interesting since I spent 7 years in Japan and happened to be there when Emperor Hirohito died. At that time, there was a renewed discussion of how much he was responsible for beginning World War II. In the end, it seemed he was more or less strong-armed into the war by right wing politicians. True, he could be blamed for being weak-willed, but he did not have the mental constitution to be an emperor in the first place. If he could have chosen, he would have been a marine biologist, as marine biology was his hobby and passion. There was no more confusing and cathartic time in Japanese history than when MacArthur and the American military came in to occupy Japan. The entire society had to re-evaluate itself on all levels. How could they, the greatest people in the world, be conquered by such an uncultured civilization? This question persists until the present day.

It was not clear at the beginning of this film whether it was a true story or a story based around true events. If the fact that it was a true story had been made clearer, it would have been more compelling. Nonetheless, it did capture most of the turbulent elements of that time. The love affair, that parallels this story is a good one and one that exposes the prejudice that existed against any Japanese woman who dared marry outside her culture. Eriko Hatsune was perfect in the role of an intelligent woman caught between tradition and emotion. Unfortunately, Matthew Foxx (General Bonner Fellers) acted as if he had been hit by a tranquilizer dart. Tommy Lee Jones overacted the role of MacArthur and was equally unconvincing.

Be warned. This is not an action movie,though a few action scenes exist. This is mainly a movie based on philosophic discussions, psychology, and cultural misunderstandings. Still, it offers a good view of an important time in world history.

Historical, Not Historic

[j-penkair · 7/10 · 4 April 2015]

I had to view "Emperor" twice before rendering a judgment. The first time went by. Not so much in any way, but something lingered. In the meantime, I visited Japan and read the Pulitzer prize-winning book by Herbert Bix: Hirohito and The Making of Modern Japan. The second viewing was thus clearly different. This film is much like a chapter torn out of the entire book. No wonder some viewers find the film "dry", "textbook-like", or with some other unsatisfactory notes. I believe I can tell why. While the book lays an excellent ground on why we should care about this man-god called and believed by most Japanese as "Emperor, Son of The Sun", if we want to understand this part of human history, the film chooses to disregard the background and assume that the viewers are already interested. This well-made film fails at making us care enough, except the ones already do. I am one of the ones who do care. The film delicately tells a story of a great nation forced on its knees. A pain of a 2,000-year-old nation being dominated by a very young superpower with no real culture of its own. A tough choice between sacrificing oneself or the Emperor they claim to be so devoted to with their lives. However, the heart of this film is also quite well-portrayed. It is that a sheer power is always submissive to a great culture. The American leadership chose not to destroy Japan not only because it was strategically wrong, but also because the culture of Japan was and is one of the triumphs of all mankind. Destroying such a human creation is to destroy a portion of oneself. Emperors have power not only to destroy but also to protect, that is.

To find the guilty men

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 25 October 2015]

Emperor mixes fact with fiction and introduces a clichéd love story subplot which detracts from the film.

The film follows US Army Brigadier General Bonner Frank Fellers (Matthew Fox) who spent time in Japan before the outbreak of the war and ordered by General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) to decide whether Emperor Hirohito regarded as a living god by the Japanese should be tried and hung as a war criminal. In the mean time the US Forces are rounding up the guilty men who were in power in Japan when it allied itself with the Germans.

Mixed with this interesting aspect of the plot is a dull romance angle of trying to find a Japanese student he fell in love with in a messed up post war Japan which has just been nuked.

The machinations and politicking regarding whether the Emperor should be tried is fascinating and helped by a broad, brash performance by Lee Jones.

Matthew Fox though is rather hindered by the script which fails to make his character interesting because of the fictionalized part of the story. The subplot introduces characters in flashbacks that explains why Japan is the country it is to help us understand why it did what it did in the war.

It is a shame that the film dilutes a momentous story to make it rather anodyne.

Surprisingly good

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 4 July 2019]

I decided to watch a few minutes of this film simply to see Tommy Lee Jones, whom I begrudgingly like as an actor. Instead, I watched the film all the way through because how to treat Japan after World War II has always been a topic that was difficult for me to reconcile.

The one criticism of the film is that I'm old enough -- barely -- to remember General Douglas MacArthur, and while I liked Tommy Lee Jones in the film, he was playing Tommy Lee Jones, not Douglas MacArthur.

What made the film successful in my view -- although it was not a critical or financial success -- were the two stories that were parallel in the film: the decision on how to treat Emperor Hirohito (retain or hang for war crimes), while the man perhaps most responsible for the decision -- relived in flashbacks his romance with a Japanese woman before the war (and incidentally, that man -- General Bonner Fellers -- was real). The film without the two stories would have been uninteresting to me.

The power of the film is demonstrated by this film. Bonner Fellers comes off as a really good guy, while in real life he later became a member of the John Birch Society.

Matthew Fox is excellent as Fellers.

So in my view, this is a very good film, despite Tommy Lee Jones looking and sounding nothing like MacArthur. But if you're younger than me (and you almost certainly are, that probably won't matter.

An enjoyable, if a bit dry, historical film

[akritchever · 8/10 · 14 September 2012]

Just saw Emperor at TIFF tonight. It was an enjoyable, well made, historical film, but a tad dry. Starring Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur and Matthew Fox as MacArthur's subordinate officer General Fellers, it is set against the backdrop of the early occupation of Japan by U.S. forces after World War 2. MacArthur is faced with a dilemma: he has to prosecute thirty Japanese war criminals - the masterminds of the war - but a question of what to do with Emperor Hirohito looms over him. To leave him alone would invite displeasure from American public and politicians, to arrest and try him for war crimes would endanger the occupation and break the tenuous peace. Jones' MacArthur assigns the task to Matthew Fox's character as he is an expert on Japan - now Fox's character has only 10 days to investigate the Emperor's involvement and come to a decision. In the meantime, the viewers also see flashbacks from Fellers' past, and there is a subplot involving Feller looking for his lost lover.

Tommy Lee Jones is plainly having lots of fun as the blustering larger- than-life Douglas MacArthur, and Matthew Fox delivers a good performance with moments of extreme intensity. Masayoshi Haneda plays a translator and aide and manages to pull off a role that has dignity despite the harrowed and dishevelled appearance of the character. Eriko Hatsune - the love interest of the film - has a fragile beauty but is too reserved throughout the movie to deliver much of an emotional impact. The film was shot in New Zealand and Japan (in fact it's the first movie to film inside the Japanese Imperial Palace) and it's gorgeous - the ruins of bombed out Tokyo are especially impressive, and of course the Imperial Palace as a backdrop is fascinating.

The quibble I had with the movie is that it tries to create a sense of urgency and suspense, but since it's based on historical events it largely fails. Anyone who has taken history in high school should know how it turned out. With the exception of a couple of scenes, there also isn't much of an emotionally charged drama going on either. Although I enjoyed it, I cannot deny that it moved at a more sedate pace and lacked great urgency and suspense.

The Fictional Romance Was Perhaps Not Needed

[sddavis63 · 7/10 · 6 October 2013]

Although I like Tommy Lee Jones, I have to say right off that I was not entirely convinced by Tommy Lee Jones as Douglas MacArthur. He didn't seem to work in the role for me. That was something of a distraction, probably overcome by the fact that MacArthur was not front and centre in this. That place went to General Bonner Fellers (played by Matthew Fox.) Fellers was the American general who played a key role in investigating war crimes and making recommendations on charges to MacArthur.

Ostensibly, the movie deals with the question of whether Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal. There's a good consideration of both sides of that debate; the pros and cons of trying Hirohito. Based, however, on my admittedly limited knowledge of what happened in post-war Japan, though, I'm not sure that the question was as open as depicted here. My understanding has been that the Americans never intended to try Hirohito and that it was with MacArthur's open concept that Fellers made sure that his reports recommended against the idea. That aside, the movie provides an interesting glimpse into the Japanese culture of the era, the reverence the Japanese held for their Emperor and the practical difficulties that would have been created by a trial.

The movie weaves some of the quasi-historical narrative around the war crimes decision with a fictional story of a past romance between Fellers and a Japanese woman named Aya, that began at a college in the United States. We see flashbacks of that relationship, and at least a part of the movie is Fellers' search for Aya in the post-war world. The impression given is that the relationship perhaps softened Fellers' attitude toward the Japanese. I wasn't entirely taken with the need for the Aya storyline. I thought there was enough in the war crimes investigation to keep the movie going without that intrusion, although I concede that Aya was a likable enough character, and I did want to find out what her fate had been.

As a straight war crimes movie, this would probably get a higher rating. As it stands - 7/10.

Slapdash and borderline fictional

[markwalfordphotography · 4/10 · 19 May 2020]

The only thing this film taught me was to go and do my own research on. Aya the love interest? Fiction and even worse adds nothing to the story. The 10 day review period? Made up. It was actually 5 months. This skips over important sections and overly repeats the limited ones it does bring up. Left wondering why make it at all

An intimate and criminally underrated war drama.

[Jonathon_Natsis · 8/10 · 21 May 2014]

Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones play polarising American WW2 army generals to a tee in Emperor, the compellingly true story of the aftermath of the war in Japan, and the concerted US effort to compile enough evidence to convict Japanese Emperor Hirohito of war crimes. Trained on a seldom-acknowledged aspect of mankind's greatest battle, Emperor infuses a grand story with intimate relationships, making for a superb addition to the voluminous library of war on film.

While Tommy Lee Jones relishes in playing every Tommy Lee Jones character ever (stealing all the best lines in the process) as the hard-nosed but cunning General MacArthur, Fox delivers a more grounded and arresting performance as Bonner Fellers, a man torn between his moral obligations and his duty to the army, and to an American public crying out for blood.

Director Peter Webber infuses a romantic subplot with Fellers' Japanese girlfriend Aya (Eriko Hatsune) neatly, filling a role but never interjecting into a story that, quite frankly, is underscored by the power of men post-war. When MacArthur finally comes face-to-face with the Emperor after an excruciating build-up, the scene's emotional force and intense interplay perfectly resonate the best attributes of this vastly underrated drama.

*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on [e-mail] and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*

Fascinating history could be better movie

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 29 June 2014]

After the Japanese surrender, General Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) is part of General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones)'s delegation. When Washington withdraws protected status from the emperor, they are given 10 days to investigate whether the emperor should be charged with war crimes. Before the war, Fellers had fallen for fellow student Aya Shimada (Eriko Hatsune). However family obligation forces her to return to Japan and he hasn't been back in Japan for 5 years.

I am not usually tie down to history just because a movie says based on a true story. This is slightly different. The history is so unknowable that any definitive version is bound to be questionable. I don't care about Fellers fictional romance with the Japanese girl. It's the murky nature of not knowing what actually happened behind closed doors. This feels like a simple official story of what happened without any voice allowing for a different story. This movie needs a counter character to contradict Fellers. This movie needs a devil's advocate. If they could manufacture a romance for Fellers, they could manufacture a competing investigator for him. General Richter doesn't have the skills or the screen time.

I do like the Japanese culture and the insights into this slice of history. The post war Japan looks compelling. Matthew Fox looks badly worn out. It fits him in the post-war Japan. However I think he needs to look a whole lot better in the pre-war flashbacks. It's a fascinating piece of history. I just think there is a better movie to be made for it.

Poor history, poor, poor history

[Pro Jury · 5/10 · 27 April 2022]

If this is to be an examination of real history, the major problem with this movie is obvious in the first 15 minutes.

"Was the Emperor responsible for Japanese war crimes?" This question is not investigated in this movie.

The 10 day limit to investigate the Emperor was odd and never explained. The statute of limitations to charge someone suspected of stealing $100 worth of canned tuna is at least 52 weeks in every state in the USA. Investigating 5 years of war crimes deserves a more investigation.

The most bland WWII TV documentaries have revealed that the Emperor was directly responsible for Japanese war crimes. He was an active player in the Japanese leadership. Throughout war council meetings, he led by asking questions. Rapes, torture, cleansing regions, he gave direction by asking questions such as, "What benefit is there in punishing our soldiers who take comfort in foreign women?"

Servants and junior military officers accompanying top Japanese generals at war council meetings confirm the Emperor's participation and leadership style at these meetings.

Instead of asking "was the Emperor responsible for Japanese war crimes," the movie explores other issues and pretends that initiating aggressive force is morally equal to the use of defensive force.

With the crazy 10 day time limit, instead of putting how WWII started on the examination table with some key leaders long dead, the more reasonable idea would be to examine the most recent policy shift increasing Japanese war crimes together with the Japanese war council meeting that took place just before the shift that were attended by the Emperor.

Orders to conduct mass civilian executions, trace back the most recent ones up the command chain and see if it took place just after a war council meeting attended by the Emperor.

There was a lot of feeble leadership that took place with Japanese surrender. The true story might be interesting to people beyond historians. In any case, the movie EMPEROR fails to be interesting even with most of it being made up by Hollywood writers.

Solid WWII historical film.

[petarmatic · 6/10 · 19 March 2014]

It was interesting to watch how immediate end of WWII in Japan affected the Emparor Hirohito.

My parents love Japan. They visited Japan on many occasions, and I am pleased to say that my father dined with Emparor Akihito, son of Emparor Hirohito, the main subject of this film.

I am always interested to watch films about when unthinkable turns into reality. I am sure many of the inner circle around Hirohito never thought that he was going to be for surrender. But his reasonable thinking prevailed. He saved many Japanese cities from the devastation of the American nuclear bombs. Only later we knew that his reasonable thinking prevailed and how dramatic was that night before his radio broadcast to the Japanese people.

As far as film goes, since it was based on a true event, there is not much to add, plot is interesting.

Acting is a little bit to be desired, that is why I gave 6 out of 10 to this film and not 7 out of 10.

All in all if you interested in the historical films, especially ones dealing with the historical acts this is a film for you.

Interesting Little Half-Baked Film

[doug_park2001 · 6/10 · 24 August 2013]

EMPEROR covers a little-known episode in post-WWII history: The question of whether or not America should prosecute Emperor Hirohito for war crimes and the--you guessed it!--big political agenda behind this question. The way that many Japanese reacted to the American occupation is also something we don't hear much about, but it makes perfect sense. This film does, however, need something more and/or something else. Though it takes up about half the story-time here, all the stuff about General Fellers's tragic would-be romance with Japanese teacher Aya Shimada has only a loose tie-in with the premise of the film. The lush scenes of the Japanese countryside contrast very well with the devastation in the cities. The acting-in-general is competent but nothing great.

" The only thing in war that counts is who wins "

[thinker1691 · 6/10 · 21 August 2013]

Director Pete Webber takes this up dated story on the life of General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) and attempts to weave two pertinent stories into one. The first is the enormous task of taking a virtually destroyed country like Japan and rebuild it with America's values and system of government. The second involves a staff officer in MacArthur's entourage, one, General Bonner Fellers( Matthew Fox) who takes to his given assignment with great vigor, all the while recalling his past involvement with a beautiful Japanese woman named Eriko Hatsune (Aya Shimada). The aid, (Fellers) on behalf of MacArtthur's instructions must seek to find solid proof of Emperor Hirohito's (Takatarô Kataoka) guilt in attacking the United States. Although the film is interesting enough and may fill in some historical facts, it drags it's feet trying to get to the point. Webber seeks to combine the final phase of the Japan/American war with a Romero and Juliet love story, it fails to live up to both. Indeed, with superior actor Tommy Lee Jones leading a solid cast, this reviewer can only compare it with Gregory Peak and found it lacking. See it and judge for yourself. ****

Emperor takes you inside the investigation of Japanese war crimes of WWII

[rgblakey · 6/10 · 21 August 2013]

Historical dramas are a tricky genre as most of the history itself is interesting, but the stuff leading up to it is not. Depending on how the film is crafted and those involve really determine how well the film works overall. The latest Emperor brings Tommy Lee Jones playing the legendary General Douglas MacArthur along with Matthew Fox as General Bonner Fellers, but do they have the story to bring this historical story to life?

Emperor follows the end of World War II following the surrender of the Japanese as General MacArthur takes on the role of defacto ruler of Japan as General Fellers sets out on an investigation to determine if the Emperor of Japan should be tried and hanged as a war criminal. This is a well shot and acted film with all the visuals that are needed to bring this time period and story to life. While Jones seemed to get the forefront of the promotions, this is a Matthew Fox movie. Here you follow his work as investigates the Emperor with him only meeting with Jones' MacArthur from time to time. His few moments in the film are great as usual and he brings the needed leadership and confidence that was needed to bring this icon of war to life. Fox does a great job with this role bringing the inquisitive nature and honesty this character needed for the task at hand and to make him believable. There are some elements of a love story of Fox's character and while may be factual really drug the story down at times and just felt a bit out of place. This already included one of the most important moments in history between Japan and America so would have been nice to see more a direct focus there and a deeper look at both sides. The movie plays well, but is slow paced due to the content and may not be able to pull the average viewer in.

This is a really important, well-acted, and excellent movie, but isn't for everyone. This is a thinking movie that requires you to pay attention to what is going on and the importance of these events to really understand not only the journey but how the ending affected history.

Compelling and Thought Provoking

[marysmith3535 · 9/10 · 3 March 2013]

I recently saw Emperor at a preview ahead of the upcoming March 8 opening. I found it well paced, carefully constructed, and beautifully shot. The interwoven sequences work tightly together. The protagonist's personal past and present personify the larger struggle over how to treat a brutal enemy that's been justifiably vanquished at horrific cost to both sides. Tommy Lee Jones and Matthew Fox deliver emotional performances as military leaders pivoting from years of war to peace. It's an absorbing story that puts you in their characters' shoes, and is compelling and thought provoking even though you know the historical outcome.

Immediate post WW2 Japan, shall we prosecute for war crimes?

[TxMike · 26 August 2013]

This is a fine historical drama. It is fact that in WW2 Japan surrendered shortly after the USA dropped two bombs, decimating parts of the country and rendering it unsuitable to continue fighting.

General Douglas MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander with the task of achieving some order in the immediate aftermath, with the goal to see an orderly Japan recovery. This presented a unique challenge because while MacArthur was clearly a mortal, a soldier, albeit a very powerful one, Emperor Hirohito was seen by his people as a god. You don't mess with a god and expect the people to stand still for it, surrender or not.

Tommy Lee Jones is General Douglas MacArthur and, while he doesn't really resemble him greatly, they took pains to dress him authentically. Jones is one of the best and he does a fine job with this role.

The real lead in this movie is Matthew Fox as General Bonner Fellers, also a real General in WW2 with roles in a number of different areas of battles. Here he is one of MacArthur's men and is given the logically impossible task, find witnesses, interview people, and submit a report within 10 days on whether Emperor Hirohito should be prosecuted for war crimes for his role in bombing Pearl Harbor in 1941, the event that sucked the USA into the conflict.

Good movie, that rang a special note for me, I was born right about the time this movie is set, in late 1945.

SPOILERS: As it turned out Fellers was able to determine that Hirohito was mostly a ceremonial Emporer, that military advisors were most certainly responsible for the decision to bomb Pearl Harbor. Hirohito was NOT tried for war crimes, and continued to serve as Emperor, in the process rejecting the idea that he was a god. And MacArthur did not become President, Eisenhower did, and we are thankful for the Interstate Highway system he gave us.

Touching nerves

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 3 December 2013]

While not really something that has any relation to something happening right now or when the movie came out, this sort of history lesson is quite nicely done. Matthew Fox back in a plane (brings back memories, I know), but lands quite safely in Japan. Namaste indeed. But that's not where the movie ends, it's where it begins. With the back-story of Foxs character and what Tommy Lee Jones character tries to do, we have a lot on the line.

And while they are playing real life people (people that existed/do exist), I'm not sure where they took some liberties for dramatic purposes. I do know they tried to be as open minded and respectful to the portrayal of Japan. And I think they did succeed in that. A drama thriller that is surely more interesting to some people than to some others.

A movie with great pretensions that fell far short in execution

[dtruitt001 · 4/10 · 29 October 2014]

As a military history buff, particularly of World War Two, and being familiar with excellent non-fiction and fiction works in print from great authors such as John Toland, Richard Franks, and William Manchester dealing with the end of the Pacific war, MacArthur, and the occupation, I really wanted to like this movie, just for its subject matter alone. But I was significantly disappointed with this film in several key respects.

Warning - several of the following points will involve spoilers: 1) The fictional love interest involving General Fellers significantly detracted from the plot, the flow of action (with its constant flashbacks,) and the seriousness of the film. It added nothing but unnecessary and confusing drama, including the silly "Japanese lover" appellation given to Bonner by a competing staff MacArthur toady.

2) I am sorry, but I was not impressed at all with Tommy Lee Jones's portrayal of MacArthur, which was actually just yet another portrayal of Tommy Lee Jones by Tommy Lee Jones ... as he does in nearly all of his film roles. The actual "American Caesar" MacArthur was nothing at all like TLJ's southern drawling cartoonish portrayal of the man, which transformed MacArthur into a two-dimensional caricature of the patrician American general. No American actor in a film yet, including the late Gregory Peck, has ever accurately captured the persona of one of the most accomplished, egotistical, intellectual, visionary, infuriating, devoted, yet enigmatic military leaders in our national history.

3) Collapsing the entire investigation of Hirohito's role in starting the Pacific war into 10 days only served to add fake urgent drama to the setup ... it was both untrue (the actual timeline was about 5 months) and reflected a purely political viewpoint that was not matched by the facts or motivations of key players at the time.

4) It was all well and good for General Fellers to conclude that nobody could determine with certainty after the fact what Emperor Hirohito's complicity was in the start of the Pacific war. That could have been a compelling finding ... but exploring that issue in at least some reasonable detail, instead of the airy dismissal given at the end of the film, as applied by the Fellers character (no doubt to make up for lost time from wasting most of the film's screen time on those silly flashbacks to the fake love affair with the Japanese teacher) completely detracted from the serious issues that the film was supposed to address. This matter deserved an in-depth investigation in late 1945, and an in-depth treatment in this film as well.

5) The acting by the Japanese characters seemed fairly well done (in contrast to TLJ, and Matthew Fox's wooden portrayal of Fellers), but the Japanese characters themselves were far more deserving of exploration than this film provided. Particularly, the most telling insight was offered by the Lord Privy Seal Kido character ... i.e., his statement that the Emperor was really just a ceremonial religious figurehead before, and during the war, who only rose to the occasion in August 1945 to exert the Imperial Will. That is, his demand that his war cabinet agree with him to accept the Allied surrender terms. The drama with which this scenario was infused was almost completely ignored in the film. The film did in fact depict the attempted military coup just before the surrender, but it did not bother to describe who was actually conducting the coup and what they intended to accomplish, and exactly whom the plotters intended to assassinate.

That the Emperor was not really in charge of Japanese imperial policy in the late 1930s and early 1940s was, of course, completely counter to the Western notion of an Emperor's role and authority. Yet that concept and fact, along with the fact that the Emperor finally forced his will upon the militarists in charge of the regime, was the lynch-pin of the film's reason for being, and for MacArthur's decision regarding the prosecution of Hirohito.

All in all, this film disappoints almost entirely, including dramatically, factually, and thematically. Realistically, a proper treatment of what was involved even just in MacArthur's decision whether or not to prosecute Hirohito deserves at least a mini-series level of treatment, not a less-than-two-hour film.

Very Good Movie

[dcmajapan · 9/10 · 14 March 2013]

This movie provides a very good depiction of a historically significant event that is all but ignored in movies and text. Seamless transitions between history and entertainment, the cast of this movie (especially the Japanese ones) expertly capture the complexity of what is the Japanese culture and psyche during post WWII reconstruction. Tommy Lee Jones also does an amazing portrayal of MacArthur in copying his mannerisms and affect.

This is a movie for people who appreciate historical context, attention to detail, and subtle references packaged with solid, proportioned acting.

Thoughtful examination of WWII history

[Buddy-51 · 7/10 · 27 September 2013]

History buffs should have a very good time with "Emperor," an unusually interesting look at Japanese/American relations in the aftermath of World War II.

Matthew Fox, of "Lost" fame, plays Brigadier General Bonner Fellers, the man whom General MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) has personally put in charge of determining whether or not the disgraced Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal (i.e., did he order or sign off on the attack on Pearl Harbor?). It falls to Fellers to perform the laborious task of piecing together the evidence both for and against the leader, interviewing those who were closest to him (those who haven't already died or committed suicide, that is) as a means of arriving at the verdict.

Directed by Peter Webber, "Emperor" could easily have become a dry and tedious exercise in historical re-creation were it not for the fact that the script by Vera Blasi and David Klass continually raises a host of thorny ethical issues along the way. Are the Allies being hypocritical for condemning Japan for its imperialistic ambitions when the Brits and Americans essentially led the way in such behavior? Will hanging the Emperor cause a revolt among the masses of loyal Japanese citizens whom the Americans are trying to win over to their side? Or does justice demand that Hirohito pay for his crimes at the end of a rope, or would such an outcome merely be giving into a need for revenge on the part of the American people, an act, by the way, that wouldn't exactly hurt MacArthur's political ambitions back home (we are told he dearly wants to become President)?

Throughout the course of his investigation, Fellers is forced to find a way to deal with a culture and a people that, while they may appear modern on the surface, have their roots planted firmly in the ancient values of loyalty and shame.

Even Feller's rather clichéd romance with a Japanese woman before the war nicely contributes to the themes the movie is exploring.

Had to turn it off before it was halfway over

[toddg-473-289818 · 2/10 · 31 July 2019]

First off, don't be fooled. This is NOT a Tommy Lee Jones movie. It feels like he was cast as General Douglas MacArthur to try and gain some box office draw. The real main character is another general, played flatly by Matthew Foxx. Foxx's character is tasked with finding remaining war criminals after Japan surrenders at the end of WWII.

The most glaring and immediate problem with this movie is the attempted equalization between the tragedies of what happened to Americas and the tragedies of what happened to the Japanese. Had the Japanese not first attacked Pearl Harbor, they would not have received the retaliatory response of the United States and the Allied forces. The parallel comparison this movie attempts to make is insulting and pedantic.