MOVIE REVIEW - Emperor

In limited release it's the new post WWII movie, Emperor with Mathew Fox, and Tommy Lee Jones.

This movie from me will get originality points right up front.  This is the story of post war Japan from the perspective of  United States Army General Bonner Fellers (Fox) .   He is given the charge by Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur  (Jones), to investigate the Japanese Emperor and to see if he, as figurehead of the country of Japan was responsible for the war with the United States.  Or if he simply sat back while the political leaders of that country ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor and started the war.  Pretty interesting stuff.  But sadly, that's where the originality points end.

I always like movies with stories you have not seen before.  But this movie takes a pretty good idea, and makes it ordinary.  The story is very intricate and too difficult to explain quickly here.   But what this turns into, is Mathew Fox driving around in a jeep throughout bombed out Japan, asking a bunch of questions and doesn't get many answers.   And that's a shame.  There are moments of real good movie making here.  There are some riveting scenes, and I especially liked the final sequence when the Emperor himself meets MacArthur.  There is some well written dialogue at times that showcases the fact that war is hell, and no matter what side is fighting, there are consequences.

There is also too much narration done by Fox's character throughout this movie, that doesn't make it better, just more boring.  I guess in the end, the real crime of this move is that it's a really good and original idea, and is presented in a very bland and unoriginal fashion.  You also have to have some idea about WWII to really get all that is presented here.   They really don't take time to give you a history lesson while you watch, and that's fine with me. No sense dumbing it down too. They assume those going have a working knowledge of WWII, and that's to their credit.  But it's not enough to save it.

Emperor.   For a niche audience for sure.   Should have been better.  Might have been a far better TV documentary with this idea.