This past year, storied leading man Tommy Lee Jones awed critics and audiences with his supporting turn as U.S. Representative Thaddeus Stevens in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. His portrayal of the progressive and insult-hurling politician earned him a much-deserved nomination for the Academy Award's Best Supporting Actor honor. But whether or not Oscar night goes his way, admirers of Jones and history buffs alike will have reason to celebrate as his portrayal of the iconic General Douglas MacArthur will at long last debut Stateside within the World War II drama Emperor.
Though the film won our interest the moment Jones chomped down on MacArthur's pipe in its trailer, the grizzled American treasure is not at the center of this historical tale set in the time immediately following Japan's surrender. Instead, Matthew Fox plays the film's protagonist. So, he is the main focus in the film's newly released poster. Check it out below, thanks to EW:
With its colors desaturated to murky gray, this poster hints to the grim condition American forces discovered in Japan as they strove to figure out the next step. As the poster proclaims: "After the war was won the battle for peace began."
Based on Shiro Okamoto's book, Emperor centers on General Bonner Fellers (Fox), an American soldier and expert on Japanese culture who is tasked by MacArthur to determine whether the Japanese Emperor, Hirohito, should be charged (and executed) for war crimes. As he investigates the defeated nation to make this determination, Fellers becomes distracted with the wish to reconnect with a Japanese woman (Eriko Hatsune) he met years ago, when she was an exchange student.
Emperor opens March 8th.
