Thursday 21 August 2014

Movie review - The Railway Man (2013)

The Railway Man (2013) / biography, war, drama

Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky
Screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson
Based on The Railway Man by Eric Lomax
Produced by Chris Brown, Bill Curbishley and Andy Paterson
Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine, Stellan Skarsgård, Sam Reid, Tanroh Ishida, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael MacKenzie, Jeffrey Daunton, Tom Stokes
Trailer: click.

Powerful war drama!

PLOT
An adaptation of the bestselling autobiography. Railway enthusiasts Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) is suffering veteran who still experiences post-traumatic nightmares decades after the war. His wife Patti (Nicole Kidman) is full of compassion while Eric's fellow veteran (Stellan Skarsgård) is also torn by his friend's immeasurable pain. The flashback sequences show us how Eric was brutally treated by a Japanese officer Tanroh Ishida who is still alive (Hiroyuki Sanada).

REVIEW
This is a touching, fact based story. Slow and thoughtful. It's about war crimes, madness of war and the profound effects it had on individuals who fought, their losses, torture, struggle, survival and also about romance, forgiveness and friendship. Very mature movie with excellent performances by Colin, Nicole and Stellan. Sometimes hard to watch and a bit dull but powerful, deep and beautiful. 4/5


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