Emperor (**½)

Directed by: Peter Webber

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Matthew Fox, Eriko Hatsune, Toshiyuki Nishida, Masatoshi Nakamura, Kaori Momoi, Colin Moy, Masayoshi Nakamura, Takatarō Kataoka

Seen: December 27^th 2013

**½ Out of ****

One of my favourite movie quotes of 2013 comes from Emperor, it even featured in the movie’s trailer; when a Japanese general tells an American general that Justice must be served, the American general responds with the line: “Revenge is not the same thing as justice!” It is an incredibly apt quote for this movie, as it deals with the responses of both America and Japan to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, which in turn were instigated by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The time and the conditions are perfectly recreated; you truly believe that this is a country recovering from a nuclear attack, and pictures at the end of the movie from when these actual events occurred have been uncannily recreated in scenes in the movie.

As World War II was reaching its official end, the Allied Powers led by General Douglas MacArthur (Jones) occupied Japan. During this time the MacArthur commissioned Brigadier General Bonner Fellers (Fox) to investigate the Emperor of Japan’s (Kataoka) culpability in the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the movie tells the story of this investigation. The inquest was led by General Fellers, appointed to the role because of his previous familiarity with the country and its customs. It was a very intense period for the Allied Forces, as they were to produce a verdict in a very short time frame, and the verdict itself could have caused massive civil unrest and further troubles in Japan, should the Emperor have been found complicit. General Fellers was familiar with Japan as he had been there on a previous tour of duty, and he was also in love with a Japanese teacher Aya Shimada (Hatsune). The movie also details their relationship and the scorn and xenophobia General Fellers was subjected to while conducting the investigation.

Emperor is a very good movie that falls short of being great. It tells a worthy story of a significant historical time period, but it has too little true heart to push it into greatness. Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan had it, Mallick’s The Thin Red Line had it, and Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers (Flags to a slightly lesser extent) had it to name a few, but Emperor falls short. What Emperor does offer though, is a fascinating study of the Japanese culture and politics at the time, their view and respect for their Emperor, and also in small part the rebuilding of Japan after the horrific bombings that levelled two cities. As General MacArthur says in the movie, Tommy Lee Jones brings some good old American swagger to the screen, but it is soon forgotten as his role in the movie is small. Matthew Fox carries the movie, and he does a great job, showing viewers a human General who is still very capable to complete the task set before him. While there are many wartime movies that tower over it, Emperor is still a good movie in its own right, an interesting watch should you get the opportunity.