A Small Boy in a Great War.

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2007)

My Take: An imperfect, yet magnificent effort. Visually stunning and honestly tear-jerking.
This is among my favorites in the war film genre. It clearly shows us the drama and power of WWII. What do you expect, Steven Spielberg directed it. It's supposed to be this wonderful, if not really perfect. Future Batman Christian Bale stars as a young boy named Jim "Jaime" Graham, who is separated from his parents, and kept inside a Japanese camp. His performance was great, even for a young actor who is less known at the time. John Malkovich and Miranda Richardson are great too. But among the things that stunned me in this movie is Spielberg realistic and stunning recreation of the great World War. The film is also wonderfully shot in Shanghai, capturing the the feel of being in the People's Republic of China. "Empire of the Sun' is really a fantastic tale that's sure to inspire, delight, shed some tears and uplift the soul of its viewers.
Rating: **** out of 5.