Review of Empire of the Sun (1987) by Cole Y — 10 Jan 2009

Empire of the Sun may well be one of Steven Spielberg's best works, in my opinion, and it's a shame that it's so often overlooked by fans of film. Christian Bale gives an absolutely incredible performance as an 11-year-old British boy who lives with his family in China at the outbreak of WWII. Immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Bale is separated from his parents and moved into a internment camp when the Japanese seize control of China. There, he matures through his life in the camp and (strangely enough) develops a sort of admiration for his captors as the war wages on around him.

John Williams, as always, provides a breathtakingly emotional score that accentuates Bale's brilliant acting, alongside other greats including John Malkovich, Joe Pantoliano, Ann Queensberry, and a very young Ben Stiller. In the end, Empire of the Sun is a visually stunning, character driven epic that provides us with a different view of WWII than we're accustomed to: One through the eyes of an inquisitive innocent child.