Review of The Railway Man (2013) by Felix N — 12 Feb 2017
Moving drama based on the WWII experiences of Eric Lomax a Prisoner of War forced to work on a railway in Burma following the fall of Singapore to the Japanese.
Lomax is played in two timelines by Jeremy Irvine in the war and Colin Firth in his older years.
He and his colleagues endure severe torture at the hands of their Japanese soldier captors forcing severe post traumatic stress disorder long after the war has ended.
Lomax is a railway geek hence the title of the film.
His demons come back to haunt him once he finds love with Patti (a rather boring Nicole Kidman) and the identity of one of his torturers is revealed as still being alive by wartime friend Finlay (Swedish Stellan Skarsgard).
After travelling back to the site of his capture he finds forgiveness to the Japanese 'translator' soldier.
The story is very interesting and emotional but the trouble with Colin Firth films I find is he plays pretty much the same character in all of them. A broody stiff upper lip Englishman.
The film has a documentary feel like an episode of Michael Portillos Railway Journeys but on the whole provides a worthy film to watch.
This review of The Railway Man (2013) was written by Felix N on 12 Feb 2017.
The Railway Man has generally received positive reviews.
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