Released in 1988, Empire of the Sun is a brilliant epic movie set during the second world war. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie introduced a very young Christian Bale to the silver screen, who we all know by now has gone on to become a household name.

The movie is set around the Japanese invasion of China, during the second world war. Jamie Graham (Christian Bale), a precocious and priviledged young boy, and his parents are forced to flee their home in a British occupied suburb of Shanghai due to the invasion. Amid the mayhem of the escape, Jamie is separated from his parents, and returns to his old house in hope that they will return there to be re-united. As the days and weeks go by, with no sign of his parents returning, and with every last scrap of food having been consumed, Jamie is forced onto the streets of Shanghai, where he is rescued and taken in by two Americans, Basie (John Malkovich) and Frank (Joe Pantoliano).

Basie and Frank, along with Jamie, are eventually captured by the Japanese forces, and are taken to Soo Chow confinement camp. During his time at the camp, Jamie is forced to grow up quickly, and come to terms with his new way of life. Situated next to a Japanese air field, Jamie finds solace in his love for aircraft, as he admirably finds ways and means to take care of those around him. As the years go by, and with his fellow captee's getting ever weaker, Jamie stays strong in the hope that someday he will be re-united with his parents.

I thought that this was a performance way beyond his years by Christian Bale, he was simply outstanding. The qualities he bought to the character made it easy warm to, and to care for the young boy from start to finish. The supporting cast of John Malkovich and Joe Pantoliao were also excellent, and I found the way that Pantoliano's character, Frank, gets undermined by Jamie at nearly evey occasion, to be quite amusing.

This is an excellent movie, and a true classic. It portrays the harsh realities faced by many during the second world war in great detail, and brought out a whole host of emotions in me. The film work by Steven Spielberg was both beautiful, and visually stunning at times, and I believe that this movie is one of his greatest, without being one of his better known.

I first saw this movie when I was a young boy myself, and have since seen it on a number of occasions, and it just keeps getting better each time I see it. This is a must see movie, and comes highly recommended.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4