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Initial Thoughts
I’m watching this film because I saw a clip of it on YouTube Shorts. In honestly, it’s how I decide to watch a lot of the films I watch. I went into this with little to no knowledge on the topic, aside from what I learned remember about WWII from grade 10 history class (10 years ago as I write this). It should be fun!
My honest first thought was that I recognized the lead actor, Matthew Fox (more notes below) from his role as Racer X in the live-action Speed Racer film from 2008.
However, my second thought was about how Japan and its people must have felt about the whole situation - speaking to the great acting & direction of the film. I really felt my outlook on the situation change as the film concluded as well. MacArthur doing the right thing with the Emperor at the end, shifted the tone from concerned and uncertain of the future to optimistic and hopeful at the end. I really felt this shift and at that moment realized how immersed I was, how well the film had made me feel what was happening.
The Cast
Overall I thought the casting was great. I recognized a couple people, I already mentioned recognizing Matthew Fox, but also Tommy Lee Jones. I actually thought I recognized Masatô Ibu, but after looking at IMDb it turns out I was mistaking him for Louis Fan for some reason… (anyone else see the resemblance? or am I being unintentionally racist 😬)
Matthew Fox
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I’ve only seen Matthew Fox in two movies, this one and Speed Racer, but I thought he was good. In my opinion, he has that stereotypical US soldier build, jawline, etc., so he fit the role well in that way. He was able to convey the emotions of the character convincingly, and his lines didn’t appear recited and the delivery was good and natural.
Tommy Lee Jones
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Tommy Lee Jones is a classic actor, and this role was made for him. For sure. His demeanor and swagger fit the role of a military General from this time period, I think. I don’t have anything to say about Jones that you haven’t read somewhere else before, only that I think he was a perfect casting.
The Director
Peter Webber
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I’ve never seen anything from Peter Webber before, to be honest. I liked the film but nothing really stood out to me. I think this is simply due to this being the first of his films I’ve seen but nothing standing out is a good thing in its own way: the film wasn’t poorly directed! However, I probably wouldn’t recognize one of his films like I’d recognize a Wes Anderson film, or a Denis Villeneuve film. That’s pretty much all I have to say about Webber: good; not bad, but not excellent.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the film was great. I got the vibes from the time it was made, like it’s a movie I’d have watched with my grandpa, as he’d tell me stories about his time in the war, and correct/critique all the military details of the film. I enjoyed it and would definitely watch it again.
Thanks for reading, – Joshua Maynard