Emperor | Rotten Tomatoes

Emperor

PG-13

Released Mar 8, 2013

1 hr. 46 min.

History

Drama

List

32%

90 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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

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Premiered Jan 01

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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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Rian N

It just alright. Learned something new about the Japan history with Emperor.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/31/23

Full Review

Rick R

slow. could have been much better with little effort. Tony lee jones was very good in this movie, but even he could not save this movie.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie deserves a much higher rating. It is excellent! As a lover of history, this amazingly portrays the trial in a detailed, honest, and engaging way. The romantic subplot shows the disposition of General Feller and his deep understanding of Japan. To see the leaders of both nations come together after such horror is beautiful to see and further depends my already immense respect for Japan. Superb movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

steve c

Like historical films, it's not an entertainment piece . Learned some interesting things.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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samuel l

A cringey, unbelievable romance film. It was slow, uneventful, full of flashbacks, and ultimately pointless. The history was questionable, the main plot was far too bland, the romance subplot led nowhere, most of the characters were unlikeable morons, the more interesting characters got barely any screen time, and the acting was mediocre at best. However, the soundtrack was pleasant, and the cinematography and visual effects were fine. Just don't bother.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

steve d

Effective thought-provoking film. The story is true and should be better known than it is. No easy answers are given and the acting is strong.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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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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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

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

Rated: 2/5

Sep 6, 2017

Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

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

Rated: 3/5

Oct 11, 2013

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

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.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 6, 2013

Full Review

Katie Smith-Wong

Flick Feast

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

Rated: 1/5

Nov 21, 2019

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

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.

Aug 8, 2019

Full Review

Amon Warmann

CineVue

The solid performances fail to elevate the tedious storytelling.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 5, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

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

Director: Peter Webber
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

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