Review of Empire of the Sun (1987) by David G — 19 Apr 2009

A film which definitely deserves the "epic" label which is often applied to it. The scope is enormous and you really feel like you're right there in the heart of 1940's Shanghai and the film really captures what it must have been like for a naive, spoilt rich kid to be suddenly thrust alone into a new, brutal world - one of Imperial Japanese occupation and internment.

A young Christian Bale starts as he means to go on, convincingly playing the lead role of Jim and conveying all the despair, hope and joy that the role required. John Malkovich too is excellent and really, so is the entire cast.

One thing I admire the film for was that it didn't feel the need to spell everything out for us - the Japanese pilots preparing for kamikaze attacks (and the one pilot who begins to cry when his plane fails to start), John Malkovich's character, despite his apparent kindness actually being a selfish scumbag - we are left to join the dots ourselves.

There are some really magical moments (Bale thinking the flash from a far off A-bomb detonation is a friend's soul heading up to heaven) and there's a superb soundtrack from John Williams. An excellent film that's easy to become emotionally involved with - something Steven Spielberg is a master of.