Review of Empire of the Sun (1987) by Paul K — 17 Oct 2008

I've wanted to see this for a long, long time, even if just to see Christian Bale as a prepubescent snotnosed runt. This was a very good film, though, for all the typical Spielbergian reasons, but also because of Bale's incredible performance.

Apparently he's had no acting training whatsoever, and that kind of raw talent is something rare and admirable. It does run a little long and there were a few times where I felt like I "got the point" and felt his isolation and detachment were depicted well enough to cut down on the running time, but then again, many films of desperation like this need to run long to really drill that conveyance home.

Overall, a good picture worthy of all the accolades its received.