Review of The Railway Man (2013) by Nick D — 24 May 2014

Uplifted by fantastic performances and a powerful message, "The Railway Man" is a well-made film that's worth watching. Colin Firth is an actor that never does wrong, and with this film delivers one of his finest performances yet.

He commands the screen through an intense presence and carries the film even it seems to fall into run-of-the-mill territory. Nicole Kidman, likewise, is also at the top of her game managing to do justice to a complex character.

The film is elevated to another level by these two performances, as well as beautiful cinematography, but is let down by a predictable story that drags in the middle. Although the message in the end is ultimately inspiring, it's a story that could have done with development rather than war-movie cliches.

Nevertheless, it's hard to not be moved by Colin Firth's extraordinary performance that will hopefully not be forgotten come Oscar time.