Empire of the Sun

1987 • 152 minutes
4.2
147 reviews
78%
Tomatometer
PG
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, Empire of the Sun stars Christian Bale as a spoiled young British boy, living with his wealthy family in pre-World War II Shanghai. During the Japanese invasion, Bale is separated from his parents. With the help of soldier-of-fortune John Malkovich, Bale learns to survive without a retinue of servants at his beck and call. By the time Malkovich and Bale are tossed into a Japanese prison camp, the boy has picked up enough street-smarts and developed enough intestinal fortitude to regard his imprisonment as an exciting adventure. The story ends during the 1945 liberation: on the verge of manhood, the 13-year-old Bale will never again be the pampered, privileged brat whom we met in the early scenes.
Rating
PG

Ratings and reviews

4.2
147 reviews
Willemien Pretorius
10 March 2020
Absolutely the best movie ever. Seen so many times...still cries every time. Just love this movie.
47 people found this review helpful
Esteban M
15 January 2024
the movie is mi the movie It's Amazing is the best work of Steven spielberg and Christian Bale is Golden Pure Amazon the best film ever the bestfield ever
Thomas Curci
29 December 2020
A real feeling period piece. We'll acted, well directed .