Emperor

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Emperor

PG-13,

2013,

1h 46m,

History/

Drama

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Watchlist

31%

88 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

31%

Tomatometer

88 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, Gen. Bonner Fellers must determine whether Emperor Hirohito should be hanged as a war criminal.

Critics Consensus

Despite a typically strong performance from Tommy Lee Jones, Emperor does little with its fascinating historical palate, and is instead bogged down in a cliched romantic subplot.

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

Sep 6, 2017

2/5

The history is sketchy, the central questions unresolved, the romance is tepid and [Matthew] Fox is a weak, uninteresting lead.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Oct 11, 2013

3/5

Emperor will do well enough. But if you want a more nuanced take on the same events, check out Alexander Sokurov's extraordinary The Sun

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Oct 6, 2013

2/5

Hokey monologues about the finger of historical blame are interspersed with perfume-ad flashbacks to idyllic days of love; you half expect Andrew Lloyd Webber to descend from on high to provide a few touching show tunes.

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Katie Smith-Wong

Flick Feast

Nov 21, 2019

1/5

Emperor is ultimately let down by the uninspiring plot and mostly weak performances.

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Aug 8, 2019

While this sounds like a deliriously ripe scenario for intrigue and melodrama, Webber's film contains neither, instead deciding to saddle it with a deadening war time romance.

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Amon Warmann

CineVue

Mar 5, 2019

2/5

The solid performances fail to elevate the tedious storytelling.

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Leia P

Oct 12, 2018

I can't believe how permissive the Americans were after all the atrocities the Japs did. Most victors would have disarmed the little cruel people and taught them a lesson the not invade, chop people's heads off, starved POWs to death, tortured them, forced them to work until they dropped etc. They really should have been made impotent so they couldn't do any more harm.

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Leia G

Aug 4, 2017

Matthew Fox restrains himself and nails the role of General Bonnet Fellers, the key figure in deciding how a victorious US will proceed after defeating Japan at the end of WW2. Even after two atomic bombs devastating the homeland, some militarists want to prevent the Emperor from acknowledging defeat. General MacArthur, perfectly caught in all his vain glory by Tommy Lee Jones, is busy polishing his stars, yet properly delegates detailed work to his able, if conflicted, subordinate. This, perhaps more than Europe, was the.ost important post-war relationship which influenced, if not determined, the world in the second half of the twentieth century, and beyond. Flawed yet masterful, this is great American cinema.

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Abraham R

Oct 12, 2013

supremely bland. although it means well, the ethics and depth take back seat to describing the events.

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Peter Webber

Director

Matthew Fox

Bonner Fellers

Tommy Lee Jones

Gen. MacArthur

Eriko Hatsune

Aya Shimada

Nishida Toshiyuki

Gen. Kajima

Masayoshi Haneda

Takahashi

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Synopsis

Following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, Gen. Bonner Fellers must determine whether Emperor Hirohito should be hanged as a war criminal.

Director: Peter Webber
Producer: Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff, Yôko Narahashi, Eugene Nomura
Screenwriter: Vera Blasi, David Klass
Distributor: Lionsgate Films, Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Smoking (Historical)|Brief Strong Language|Violent Content)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 8, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 15, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.3M
Runtime: 1h 46m

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