▶ Watch the trailer
Film · 1987 · War
Empire of the Sun
Directed by Steven Spielberg
1987
★ 5.4 editorial score
Christian Bale was thirteen and carries the entire film: Spielberg follows an English boy separated from his parents in occupied Shanghai, and never lets the war become an adventure.
“Empire of the Sun is pure Spielberg and a perfect match of director and material, focusing as it does on a child separated from his family, whose suburban existence is turned upside down by a mysterious outside force. But unlike previous Spielberg films, this is less a celebration of the wonders of childhood and more a lament for the loss of a child's innocence.”
Where to watch
