Indie Film Spotlight: "Emperor" - Starring Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones

Previews for the recently released film Emperor may lead viewers to believe that Tommy Lee Jones is the star of the film, but he actually plays a supporting role, as General Douglas MacArthur. Matthew Fox assumes the lead role, as General Bonner Fellers, who is tasked by MacArthur with determining whether or not Emperor Hirohito was responsible for the decision to attack Pearl Harbor during World War II. Emperor is set in Japan shortly after the end of the war and MacArthur is leading the rebuilding efforts, as well as tying up loose ends for the U.S. government.

In addition to his investigation of Hirohito, Fellers attempts to learn the whereabouts of a woman, Aya (Eriko Hatsune), who he met in the United States and fell in love with when they were college students. Fellers uses his position to speed up the inquiry, which does not sit well with at least one of his fellow soldiers, whose jealousy gets the better of him. Meanwhile, Fellers experiences great frustration in his quest to learn the truth about Hirohito, but he understands how important character and loyalty are to the people of Japan, especially to high ranking officials who appear to be protecting their beloved Emperor.

Fellers and Aya's romance is told in flashbacks to when they first met and when he visited her family in Japan after her abrupt departure from the U.S. However, their relationship is not well established, so viewers may be apathetic to the outcome of that storyline. On the other hand, Fellers' often tense and sometimes dangerous meetings with Japanese officials are thoroughly interesting. Credit should be given to Matthew Fox for his conflicted and believable performance. Of course, Tommy Lee Jones delivers a solid, if familiar, turn as the legendary MacArthur, who appears to be equally grumpy as other characters Jones has perfected onscreen.

Emperor benefits from a swift pace, solid performances and is beautifully photographed. I was not only entertained during the film, but I felt like I learned something as well about the relationship between the U.S. and Japan, post WWII. However, the film is unable to sustain momentum throughout due to the mediocre execution of the romance between Aya and Fellers. 

Director: Peter Webber
Screenplay: Vera Blasi and David Klass