Taking a closer look at a true story about a prisoner of war, The Railway Man enters the indie market in the United States.  The Australian made film has all the trappings of a compelling drama, but drags and lacks compassion as an example of war crimes. Told in flashbacks in gritty detail, the film opens old wounds of mistreatment by the Japanese during World War II.  While it’s a gripping film, especially the scenes in the concentration camp, the message gets lost in translation.

The biography drama depicts the story of Eric Lomax (played by Colin Firth) who during World War II was taken captive by the Japanese and brought to a railroad labor camp in Burma. The prisoners were made to work on building the Burma to Thailand railway that would transport the Japanese Army and supplies to their encampments for war purposes.  There, singled out as an officer, he was mistreated in a horrifying manor including beatings and water torture to try and obtain information about British and American troops.

Colin Firth as Eric Lomax and Nicole Kidman as Patti

Some 40 years later we find Lomax still fighting the daemons of his past.  He rides the same railway each day and tries to make his life as “normal” as possible.  His fellow released prisoners who meet regularly still feel their pain of time spent in the heinous camp where they struggle digging through mountains and feeling the ire of the Japanese.  But, Lomax has kept his torturous experiences to himself, never telling what unspeakable cruelties were done to him while being interrogated by officers including his interpreter Nagase Takashi (Hiroyuki Sanada).

One day while riding the train from Southampton he meets Patti (Nicole Kidman) and starts a relationship that enables Lomax to face his fears with a meeting with Takashi.  Director Jonathan Teplitzky spools out his film at a snail’s pace with long shots of Firth as Lomax surviving his daily routines.  He introduces his support characters early on, but it’s actually later in the film you realize how they fit into the psychological drama being played out on the screen.

Young Lomax (Jeremy Irvine) gets singled out for interrogation

He presents the biography using flashbacks to show the pain and torture of the captives of the Japanese, but doesn’t really get into it enough to provide the empathy that drives the film.  We can see the suffering of Lomax who’s now nearing his 70’s, but the message of forgiveness doesn’t equal the extreme physical pain that was set upon the man in 1942. When he finally meets face to face with his torturer in the 1990’s Teplitzky doesn’t capture the emotion of a meeting like that should arouse. I guess time does heal all wounds as evidenced by the film, but does it make in this film for more than just an informational study of Lomax?

Colin Firth turns in a good performance as the man riddled by his disturbing past.  He shows the pain that has stripped Lomax of his youth never being able to shake the near death experience that has haunted him all these years.  It’s a hard story to tell not really knowing what the man has gone through for 40 years since his capture, but Firth still gives us enough to understand how bad it must have been for him.

Nagase Takashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) comes face to face with Eric Lomax (Colin Firth)

There’s not much to say about Kidman’s character as it really is no more than a supporting role that allows Firth to start on a road to recovery.  She makes Patti an understanding person, one who cares for Lomax and wants him to mend his past.  Her Patti realizes how difficult it is dealing with his nightmares, but still persists on a life with him to the very end.

The Railway Man has been rated R for disturbing prisoner of war violence. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for adolescents.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A well made biography, but lacks empathy. (B-)

Additional Film Information:
Cast: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine, Stellan Skarsgard, Sam Reid, Tanroh Ishida, Hiroyuki Sanada.
Directed by: Jonathan Teplitzky
Genre: Biography, Drama, War
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing prisoner of war violence
Running Time: 1 hr 56 min
Release Date: May 2, 2014
Distributed by: The Weinstein Company

Now Playing at:

Laemmle’s Playhouse 7

673 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA – (626) 844-6500

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