Opening this weekend Emperor brings a film based on a true event that brought closure to the war in the Pacific during WWII.  Questionable writing, direction and acting, the historical drama threads a romantic tale inside this biopic that tends to distract rather than add to the meetings between General MacArthur and the Emperor of Japan.  Not at all what I expected, the movie misses its mark in the essence of the plot putting a damper on the real importance of the event.

In the nearly destroyed Tokyo just after the surrender of Japan, the next step is retribution on the leaders of the country that attacked the United States bringing them into World War II.  Emperor Hirohito’s (Takatarô Kataoka) considered a war criminal so the USA’s plan centers on getting the information that will convict him of wrong doing and have him suffer the consequences. Since the Emperor’s people are ardent followers and a mass retaliation to his conviction would cause more bloodshed, MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) must get to the bottom of his involvement so he can make a case. General Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) gets the assignment to investigate the Emperor because of his knowledge of the country and knowing the language.

Matthew Fox as Fellers chatting with MacArthur played by Tommy Lee Jones

Entwined within the movie we find Fellers flashing back to a time when he was in college and meets Aya (Eriko Hatsune) a Japanese woman.  The two have a romantic affair, but Aya leaves suddenly to go back to her homeland. A few years pass and he arrives in Japan on a fact finding mission just one year before war breaks out between their countries. When things take a negative turn between the two during a visit with Aya, Fellers leaves Japan for his Unit. So starts a hidden conflict between his assignment and the girl with whom he has been obsessed.

Director Peter Webber rambles making his slow moving film go off course and creating two films in one.  The actual historical reason the military is in Japan constantly battles between the charges being levied against the Emperor and a forbidden love story, neither looking vital enough to make the film realistic.  His attention to the real urgency of getting the dope on Hirohito becomes insignificant shown by the lack of screen time of MacArthur, the General’s haphazard approach to the assignment, his demand for the face to face meeting put in the hands of one man, and his anger over the deadline set by General Eisenhower.  This entire historical part of the film takes only 15-20 minutes of the nearly two hour run time. The rest of the movie labors on whether Fellers will find his true love, his conflicting feelings for Japan and the desire to become the protagonist in spite of the outcome.

Emperor has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for violent content, brief strong language and smoking.  There is also some actual archival footage of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima as a prelude to the movie.  However, Tokyo which is the setting for the film was never touched by ‘The Bomb’ with the destruction shown in the film being the result of the bombing air raids on the city.

FINAL ANALYSIS: What should have been and could have been never happens. (C )

Additional Film Information:

• Cast: Matthew Fox, Tommy Lee Jones, Eriko Hatsune, Takatarô Kataoka and Isao Natsuyagi
• Directed by: Peter Webber
• Genre: History, Drama, War, Romance
• MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for violent content, brief strong language and smoking Running Time: 1 hr 46 min
• Opening Date: March 8, 2013
• Distributed by: Roadside Attractions