The Railway Man

When The Railway Man was published back in the 1990s I reviewed it for The Officer Magazine, and could not understand why a former FEPOW would forgive a man who had beaten and tortured him just because he was now dying. I still can't. And when I think of all the memoirs written by FEPOWs, I wonder: Why film this, of all books? Why not The Naked Island by Russell Braddon? Why not You'll Die in Singapore by Charles McCormack? Why not Escape from the Rising Sun by Ian Skidmore? All much more interesting and exciting than this bit of naval-gazing. Thinking back on all the films that have been made on this subject - The Bridge in the River Kwai, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, To End All Wars, A Town Like Alice and a couple of cheapo Hammer exploitation pieces - they all seem to have been based on novels or 'thoughtful' books by pretentious nitwits (Laurens van der Post for example) or on memoirs that have been completely eviscerated (Miracle on the River Kwai filmed as To End All Wars). The one exception is an Australian movie about the Japanese mass escape from Cowra. Can the British, for once, make a film about FEPOWs that is accurate and isn't aimed cultural snobs who need to see a reflection of their own angst?

I saw the world premiere of this movie at the Toronto Film Festival. The theater was packed. At the conclusion everyone stood and cheered. I won't give a lot of details, the movie site does that. The movie has some action but is not action packed. The story line is sometimes slow but always engaging. The characters are developed well throughout. I felt the "young versions" of the characters did a fantastic job as well as the "current versions" who are the more experienced actors. The movie is hard to watch at times and yet brutally honest. I found it gripping and emotional. I am eager for it's arrival on the big screen. If you like history movies, war movies, or dramas, you will most likely enjoy this movie.

The heart of this story is that Eric Lomax, a signaler, is treated with appalling cruelty by his Japanese captors. In particular he is treated brutally by a young Japanese officer. The film shows how his mistreatment blights his life for decades after the end of the war. He marries but the baggage that he carries with him from his mistreatment stays with him and badly effects his everyday life. The flashback sequences very accurately depict what we have read about post traumatic stress disorder and how visions of bad experiences recur at inconvenient times. There are excellent performances by Firth and Kidman and also Hiroyuki Sanada as the sadistic Japanese officer. The scenes of the Burma railway are extremely accurate to the final detail. At the end he has the Japanese officer at his mercy and chooses reconciliation. Personally I would have twisted his neck! I do hope that this film is distributed in Japan. The Japanese have still not been told about the disgusting, depraved and barbaric things that their soldiery did in World War Two.

In my early 40s I had extensive opportunities of chatting with a veteran of the Burma Railway. He was part of the army that surrendered when Singapore fell. He recounted the horrors of his life working in this terrible environment. It seems to me that this film brilliantly captures the experience that my old friend described. When the Allied forces eventually launched a bombing mission to destroy one of the bridges some of the weapons fell on the POW camp and George was buried alive in the storm drain into which he'd thrown himself for shelter. His comrades witnessed this and dug him out just in time. He was never able to forgive the Japanese for the cruel horrors he'd witnessed. I'm grateful that this film has captured what these brave men and women went through.

Simply put, this is an instant classic. There has been many movies made about war, and this film now ranks among the greatest. And it is certainly a movie that anyone who has thought about the fact that some of the world's great countries participated in some of the worse atrocities. How are we to feel about those nations who destroyed so much, including those genocidal actions that continue to this day? This movie is one answer. And it is a journey that those who surrender to it, will never forget. If the movies are a collaborative art, then this is one of the greatest examples of it. And if truth and beauty matter to you, and if you can stand to watch scenes of horror and despair, you may experience which has to be a film of the deepest spiritual transformation and growth. I will never forget this, and I hope everyone who sees it can be transformed and healed.

Had the opportunity to see this at its world premiere in Toronto tonight, where we were joined not only by the stars, but also by Patti Lomax, the wife of the real-life Eric Lomax, on whose autobiography this film was based. The story is unique and interesting, and is told with a series of flashbacks to Eric Lomax, our protagonist's (Firth), experiences of WW2. As the film is set in fairly dreary locations (prison camps and drab apartments), it's not the most visually exciting thing to watch, and the edit/pacing leaves a bit to be desired - at several points, we find the present-day Eric Lomax (Firth) suddenly transported back to his POW camp in Asia without anything to clue us off as to whether he travelled there (a single plane shot would've done it) or, as in at least one case, is hallucinating. Still, a good story and well acted by Firth with support from Nicole Kidman as his wife - although the real show-stealers are Jeremy Irvine as young Lomax, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Nagase, the Japanese translator and Lomax's tormentor.

Based on a true memoir of survival, love, retribution, and forgiveness, "The Railway Man" sets off from Edinburgh at a leisurely pace. The film slowly unfolds through flashbacks as layer upon layer of a World War II veteran's repressed memories are stripped away. A brutal, less spectacular cousin to "The Bridge on the River Kwai," the film centers on events that followed the British surrender of Singapore in 1942 and the subsequent Japanese use of British prisoners of war to construct a railway line from Thailand into Burma. Hidden secrets erupt from a rumpled domestic scene and unfurl in a bleak and monochromatic Scotland. However, in flashback, the cinematography shifts to warmer hues that imbue the tropical prison camp scenes shot around Kanchanaburi, Thailand, and the actual rail line that crosses the River Kwai. The film's outer layer is a love story between an aging unkempt railway enthusiast, Eric Lomax, and a younger woman, Patti, whom he meets during a train journey. Once wed, Eric's suppressed demons from his war experiences surface, and Patti attempts to unravel her husband's mysteries and reclaim the man that she loves. Colin Firth portrays Eric in a restrained internalized performance that simmers with efforts to suppress harrowing memories, pent-up anger, and a thirst for vengeance. Unfortunately, Nicole Kidman's perfect complexion and carefully made-up demeanor work against any verisimilitude as Patti, the loyal, loving wife of an introverted man with dark secrets; once beyond her looks, however, she does an earnest capable job in the undemanding role. The rest of the film's cast is also fine; Jeremy Irvine does well as the young Eric, who convinces viewers that he could age into Colin Firth. Stellan Skarsgard has a short, but effective role, as Finlay, the mature version of Lomax's prison mate, who helps Patti delve into Eric's past. Tanroh Ishida and Hiroyuki Sanada are excellent in key roles as Japanese guard and interpreter. Unlike the David Lean classic, "The Railway Man" is no action thriller, but rather a psychological examination of the lingering effects of war's brutalities on the survivors, both the victors and the vanquished. Colin Firth gives another powerful, if underplayed, performance in a still rising career of memorable roles; Firth alone is reason enough to see the movie. At times, director Jonathan Teplitzky is a bit too arty for the film's good; his wide-screen images are sometimes self-consciously composed; and holding the camera on static shots of characters thinking or remembering may be mesmerizing for some viewers, but tedious for others. However, despite pacing issues, most evident early in the film, patient viewers will be rewarded with a powerful heartfelt closing that should stimulate the tear ducts.

This is arguably one of the best WW2 films I have ever seen. There aren't many films that tell the story of the situation outside of Europe and this tells it brilliantly. Collin Firth portrays the emotional struggle of a man plagued by the war extremely well, and I was gripped from start to finish. I've been to Thailand and this was possibly why I was so affected by the film, but I thought it was extremely touching and thought provoking. The story affected me to the point of tears (as no other film has ever done). There is so much depth and beauty to the film and characters and I think it's a shame it hasn't been rated higher.

I read the short storyline of the film before viewing and it had intrigued me. I came into it with an open mind - at first romance and then the inescapable drama. The acting by Firth was amazing. I was mesmerized. It may be slow (to some of a lesser attention span) at first, but eased into a psychological drama that holds on tight and will not release until the finale. Spectacular cinematography, the scenes are beautiful and real. It is a wake up call to those who have not/do not understand the great span of WWII - brings much needed insight into the history of this particular banker's war. Ultimately, this film beautifully portrays the ultimate power of forgiveness. Which brought tears to my eyes, in the panic and hysteria that the world now feels due to war and terror, it is good to know that there is some shred of humanity that exists and has hope to exist in the future.

Words cannot do this film justice. There are no words to describe how amazing the true story of Eric Lomax really was, and I do not want to give away the entire story here. But suffice to say that I was fully engrossed in the film throughout its entirety. From the moment we see Eric and Patty meet to the emotional ending,I could not bring myself to look away or even to reach down for my drink in the cinema. Be prepared for some harrowing and intense scenes. But bear in mind that these are required for us to understand completely the dilemma faced by Eric at the end of his story. The actors portray their characters beautifully, with so much angst and emotion that I found myself empathising with them all the way through. If you are interested whatsoever in stories of war, survival, trauma, revenge, forgiveness and the ethical dilemmas wrapped up in them all, then this is a film you should definitely see. Tears rolled down my face as the credits rolled, and I found myself thinking about the movie long after watching it. Highly recommended.