History doesn’t have to be boring.

The historical drama “Emperor” proves this while telling the story of the investigation of war crimes of Emperor Hirohito in post- WWII Japan. The film is inspired by true events as General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) and General Bonner Fellers (Matthew Fox) try to undercover facts from several sources about the role Hirohito played in the war.

It’s the end of WWII after Japan surrendered, and General MacArthur is on assignment to rebuild Japan. After they land in Japan, Fellers is assigned the impossible task of finding evidence to determine if Hirohito should be hanged or not. Fellers is given his own personal translator and an assistant, to whom he assigns a mission to find a Japanese woman, Aya.  Fellers previously had a relationship with Aya, but they were torn apart and haven’t seen each other in five years. Throughout his investigations, Fellers constantly has flashbacks of his times with Aya, which actually helps him to concur findings about the emperor.

The target audience for “Emperor” isn’t necessarily teenagers. The theater will most likely be filled with adults around 40 and over. However, the storyline is one which can be enjoyed by all. History buffs and online casino romantics will both find something to appreciate in this film.

The movie depicts the real-life events of searching for evidence to incriminate, try and hang Hirohito, with its own added twists along the way. An underlying love story throughout gives the film more of an angle. The idea of searching for a long-lost love adds a romantic and heartwarming feeling to an extremely depressing time in history.

One of the most impressive aspects about the movie is the setting. The set is incredible, with believable recreations of what post-war Japan would’ve looked like. Everything from bombed ruins to the cars the Japanese drove and the buildings they worked in are all carefully mimicked to create as authentic a set as possible.

As for the acting, the entire cast does an incredible job portraying their historical figures. The personalities of the famous wartime men shine through the actors. One noticeable aspect of the characters is that the movie isn’t filled with young and popular Hollywood actors. A majority of the cast is Japanese actors making their American film debuts, and they all certainly left a mark in the industry. Jones is the most famous actor out of the bunch, and Fox has had a few large roles, but ultimately, the cast is relatively small and unknown.

Like many history movies, “Emperor” has its slow parts, but overall it is an entertaining adaptation of real life events with a unique perspective to a WWII film.