The Sun

Although there is little action in this film, it is a very interesting portrayal of an emperor, captive within the imperial system and trying to do the best for his people amid the ruin of defeat. His humanity comes over mixed with his other worldly ways. The final scenes with his wife tell a lot about the stultifying problems of being a deity to his people. The film takes an ultimately positive view of Hirihito - as it seems did General MacArthur in not making him a war criminal.

This film is a classic example of the sort of stuff my family calls 'interesting, but boring' - i.e. if it tickles an interest you've already got, or if you're willing to take a mental stretch, it can be worthwhile; but it's so determinedly slow and minimal that many viewers WILL be put off.

I have completely mixed feelings about it - yes, there were moments (maybe even minutes) where I just wanted it to get on with it and have something - anything - happen; but there were also moments of tremendous poignancy and beauty in there too. And yes, some of the supporting actors ARE terrible Russians faking Amerikanski, and at times it all slows to a crawl (and that was with fast-forward at intervals) ... but it is ALSO a masterpiece of miminalist control and there's an unforgettably odd and wholly convincing nightmare-scape sequence which is both completely out of place and completely haunting.

Definitely, if you liked Downfall and/or are interested in WWII / Japan, then this may do it for you. But it's not for action fans or anyone who gets completely impatient with slow pacing.

This was one of the worst films I think I've ever seen. I'm just glad I saw it because it caused my mate and I to laugh all the way home.

The acting and the script were terrible - the pace painful.

I can't wait to see the other two in the trilogy.

I just watched this and every second I thought somethings going to happen. Its a film that has you constantly suspecting somethings just round the corner not at all helped by the soundtrack,

Its just a depiction of the last day or so of the Emperors days in power and I was largely shocked when it ended as there didn't seem much point to the film and the only impression I got was he was a raving looney

I would definately recommend saving your money and not watching this online or renting but that said if you ever see it advertised on TV its worth an hour or so of your time.

Built round a superbly restrained performance by Issey Ogata as Japanese wartime emperor Hirohito, director Alexander Sokurov’s portrait of the transition in 1945 of Japan into a defeated power is one of the first true classics of 21st century cinema.

The film slowly and meticulously follows Hirohito during the last few days of the Second World War, through to surrender, his first meetings with Allied commander Douglas MacArthur and the eventual renunciation of his divine status. The plot is fairly bare bones in a way that will put off a mainstream audience, but those that have the patience to stay with the film will discover a masterful character study. The portrayal of Hirohito and indeed the film as a whole is meticulous in detail, but painfully slow in pace. That doesn’t make for a cinematic roller coaster ride but it does allow the viewer time to examine Hirohito in great detail.

The life of the Japanese emperor is shown as incredibly restricting, with Hirihito hardly ever alone, and even when he is he remains under close surveillance from servants and captors. Yet at the same time he is an incredible lonely man, cut off from the outside world in a society that worships but does not understand him.

Sokurov actually paints a fairly sympathetic portrait of a man many consider culpable in the Japanese war crimes of the Second World War. That issue is never resolved within the film, nor is an attempt made to do so. What we have instead is an examination of a man worshiped as a living God, who renounces that role and only then begins to show a more human outward demeanour.

Overall – Not a film for everyone, but a mesmerising character study none the less. Sukurov shows the transformation of a man struggling with his grasp on reality to one who seems to understand more than those around him the new found realities of Japanese occupation. The morality of Hirohito’s wartime record is addressed but never resolved, leading to a sympathetic, perhaps overly sympathetic, portrayal of the man behind the title, Emperor of Japan.