You’d think that in telling a story whose novelty is in its veracity, retaining some semblance of that truth might be important. But wrestling history into narrative has its challenges, and things can get hazy when it comes to the facts in a historical drama. So it seems like the next logical step in telling a story with a relationship to truth might be that if you’re going to fudge things, at least make it entertaining. Please, pull an Argo.
Emperor, a tame historical thriller focused on the early days of the U.S. occupation of Japan, takes a different tack, liberally changing details and laying out its tale with a baffling mediocrity.
On his arrival in Tokyo following Japan’s surrender, Brig. Gen. Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) is tapped by Gen. Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) to arrest Japan’s top leaders for prosecution of war crimes. When the emperor, whose palace grounds haven’t been breached by U.S. troops, is taken off the protected list, Fellers is put in charge of investigating the monarch’s role in the war and whether he should be prosecuted.
Emperor focuses on Fellers’ inquiry into Hirohito — whether the emperor was a figurehead only, or whether he had the power to encourage or stop the militarist factions — and if he did possess direct influence, whether he was responsible for war crimes. Thematically, the film stakes out ambitious territory, exploring Americans’ role as conquerors and rebuilders trying to balance the pragmatic needs of a country in ruin with the pursuit of justice and the question of whether such justice can be pursued dispassionately.
Despite the promising setup, the filmmakers’ execution muddles what’s inherently dramatic material. In clunky, as-read-from-a-history-textbook voice-over, Fellers explains the implications of prosecuting Hirohito; then the overwritten script makes him repeat that message early and often, and practically verbatim, to reluctant subordinates and Japanese officials who are well aware of the situation.