The Railway Man

Plot synopsis:
During the Second World War, Eric Lomax is a British officer who is captured by the Japanese in Singapore and sent to a Japanese POW camp, where he is forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway north of the Malay Peninsula. During his time in the camp as one of the Far East prisoners of war, Lomax is tortured by the Kempeitai (military secret police) for building a radio receiver from spare parts. The torture depicted includes beatings, rape and waterboarding. Apparently, he had fallen under suspicion of being a spy, for supposedly using the British news broadcast receiver as a transmitter of military intelligence. In fact, however, his only intention had been to use the device as a morale booster for himself and his fellow prisoner-slaves.
Years later, and still suffering the psychological trauma of his wartime experiences, with the help of his wife Patricia and best friend Finlay, Lomax decides to find and confront one of his captors who had escaped prosecution as a war criminal. Lomax returns to the scene of his torture after he has tracked down Japanese secret police officer Takashi Nagase, "in an attempt to let go of a lifetime of bitterness and hate". When he finally confronts his former captor, he first asks questions similar to how his captors interrogated him years before. The situation builds up to he nearly whacks Nagase, but instead breaks furniture in anger. Soon after, Lomax pushes the officer into a human cage, where many POWs were previously kept.
Nagase soon reveals that the Japanese (including himself) were brainwashed into thinking the war would be a victorious one for them, and how he never knew the high casualties caused by the Imperial Japanese Army. Lomax eventually frees Nagase, and throws his knife into the nearby river. He then returns to Britain.
After an indefinite period of time, Lomax returns with his wife, Patricia, to Thailand. He meets up with Nagase once again, and after an apology, which he accepts, the two become friends. The epilogue tells that Lomax and Nagase stayed friends until their deaths in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Tags: revenge, violence, flashback

Review:
If anything, Colin Firth gives a slightly under-powered performance (and Nicole Kidman's part gives her too little to work with), but Jeremy Irvine is intensely believable as the wartime Lomax, geeky and quietly heroic.
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.
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.
The Railway Man is a reminder of the madness of war that reached beyond those well-known battle fields and the profound effects it had on individuals who fought in the Southeast Asia region.Colin Firth embodies the suffering of Eric Lomax, a veteran who still experiences post-traumatic nightmares decades after the war.
Rounding out the strong performances is Hiroyuki Sanada's Nagase, a former translator of the Imperial Japanese Army who took considerable part in Eric's torture.While the flashback scenes led by younger actors (Jeremy Irvine and Tanroh Ishida) could use some improvements, the current post-war scenes are recreated to near perfection with mature performances from the more experienced cast members.
Based on a true story - Eric Lomax (Firth) - was building the Thai/Burma railway WWII as a POW.
In an attempt to lay ghosts of his past to rest he travels back to revisit the sites of his incarceration and comes face to face with a Japanese officer from that time who was central to his torture.It's a grey, period-style, sombre film, there's little in the way of humour and the only colour at the beginning is Nicole Kidman's (more or less extraneous) role as the "love interest." Her role was apparently meant to be played by Rachel Weisz and I think that would have been a better choice, and it bugs me that Kidman is first listing on the credits when Lomax' role is the titular role, and it's HIS book that the film is based on.
His character too was a tragedy, also not coping at all with life after war.The young actors playing the tough scenes in Japan building the railway had the hardest roles and Jeremy Irvine and Sam Reid did their older selves proud in some quite harrowing scenes, and oftentimes they really did look emaciated, thin and on their last legs.
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..
Perhaps it shouldn't matter, given the power of his performance, but it gets in the way if you try to make sense of the time lapses.The very down to earth portrayal of Eric's lonely life is immensely touching, as in the scene where his new love Patti wants to scrub clean the cooking pot in his grubby bachelor kitchen.
Fortunately, "The Railway Man" was just released on DVD and Netflix brought it out this week--so you have no excuse not to see it yourself."The Railway Man" is based on a true story written by Eric Lomax about himself and his experiences following World War Two. During the war, he was a prisoner of the Japanese and suffered tremendous torture and privations.
Director Jonathan Teplitzky has created a monument against war in THE RAILWAY MAN based on the book by Eric Lomax ('Enemy, My Friend?') and adapted for the screen by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson.
It is a brilliantly conceived and acted and presented cinematic version of a true story about a British army officer Eric Lomax (Colin Firth/Jeremy Irvine) who was captured by the Japanese during the fall of Singapore in 1942.
Lomax was fascinated with railroads and that in part (and the fact that he had built a radio to hear what was happening in the rest of the world while he and his mates were held as POWs in a Japanese prison camp) was the reason he was singled out for torture – a torture under the direction of the Japanese translator Takeshi Nagase (Hiroyuki Sanada/Tanroh Ishida).The autobiography works so well because of many factors – the back and forth telling of the story in modern times and in 1942 as filmed in Scotland and Thailand, the equally brilliant performances of the older and younger Lomax and the older and younger Nagase, the manner in which the undoing of the mind of Lomax is handled by Lomax's wife Patti (the always superb Nicole Kidman) and the support of Lomax closest friend Finlay (Stellan Skarsgård/Sam Reid) when it is discovered that Lomax's arch enemy Nagase is still alive, working as a tour guide of the very camp where Lomax was tortured (Nagase remains deeply concerned about his actions in the war and is now working toward reconciliation).
You never surrendered.' Eric: 'I'm still at war.') But it also is made more deeply moving by the musical score by David Hirschfelder and the cinematography by Garry Phillips and a truly impressive supporting cast.Twice in the film a poem written by Eric Lomax is spoken: At the beginning of time the clock struck one Then dropped the dew and the clock struck two From the dew grew a tree and the clock struck three The tree made a door and the clock struck four Man came alive and the clock struck five Count not, waste not the years on the clock Behold I stand at the door and knock.If only everyone could see this moving study of how war affects us all perhaps we could stop the madness.
The Railway Man is a stark reminder of what it means to be a hero regardless of the horrendous treatment received at the hands of the enemy.Okay, I'm off my soapbox and onto the review.The film is an adaptation of an autobiography of a British officer (Eric Lomax), who was a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp.
Based on Eric Lomax's autobiographical reminiscence, the film chronicles his experiences of working on the notorious Burma railway as a Japanese prisoner-of-war, and how such experiences continue to blight his existence, thirty-five years after the war has ended.
This film tells a tortured prisoner of war after him and his team of soldiers surrendered to the Japanese during World War II."The Railway Man" is a well done movie.
In a way, it felt like I was watching a propaganda film made by China or other Asian countries traumatised by the Japanese in the World War II - until the ending scene when things turn around and become very touching.
'THE RAILWAY MAN': Four Stars (Out of Five) World War II drama film about a former tortured prisoner, of a Japanese POW camp, who's given the chance to confront one of his captors; decades later while trying to live a happily married life.
It's a little slow paced at times but for the most part it's intriguing and emotional.Eric Lomax (Firth) was constantly haunted by memories of his past, as a tortured prisoner of a Japanese POW camp (Irvine); during World War II.
When his buddy (and former fellow POW), Finlay (Skarsgard), brought him the whereabouts of one of the men who tortured him, Takashi Nagase (Sanada), Eric had to decide whether or not to confront him.The movie is well written, acted and directed but it doesn't come together (quite as nicely) as it's parts play out.
Jonathan Teplitzky's "The Railway Man" is the true story of Eric Lomax, a British officer in World War II who was tortured by the Japanese.
This is the remarkable story of a British officer who became a prisoner of war when the Japanese took Singapore in early 1942, worked on the infamous Burma-Siam railway, and suffered terrible torture for constructing a radio receiver.
Eric Lomax is played by Jeremy Irvine (wartime) and Colin Firth (post-war), while his lead kempei torturer Takeshi Nagase is portrayed by Tanroh Ishida and then Hiroyuki Sanada.
Based on the memoirs of Eric Lomax, the World War II drama The Railway Man is a very competently made, brilliantly acted film that will attempt to push the heartstrings of its audience.In 1980 Eric (Colin Firth) is a rail enthusiast who travels around the UK and has detailed knowledge about train timetables and British towns.
When it is discovered he build a radio Eric is taken to be tortured by a young Kempeitai (secret police) officer, Takashi Nagase (Tanroh Ishida).The Railway Man is a superb acted film as both Irvine and Firth play the character.
Oddly enough I didn't know "The Railway Man" is based on a true story and after seeing this flashback type World War II drama and with it's themes of pain, sorrow, and in the end forgiveness and redemption it's a movie that's a joy and one that most should see.
Colin Firth is Eric an ex World War II POW who has flashbacks of the brutal beatings that he took at a Japanese labor camp, now in his post days as a British army officer Eric spends a lot of time riding trains, something that's been in his blood since his days of helping construct the Thai railway.
Only this film takes a redemption twist despite the fact that revenge is on Eric's mind it's only fitting that he meets up with the ex Japanese solider that gave him harsh treatment as in the end thru love, life, and time wounds have healed and Eric accepts forgiveness.
This film is underseen, but it's another fantastic movie to add to the World War II collection.This film is about a British soldier named Eric Lomax who was sent to a Japanese POW camp and is tasked with building the Kwai bridge.
Years later, after being married and suffering from his war years, Eric discovers that Lomax is still alive.This is Colin Firth's best performance since his memorable role in The King's Speech.
Finally, Hiroyuki Sanada's performance as the elder Nagase was very heartfelt and moving.Overall, The Railway Man is a very powerful movie with themes of friendship, forgiveness, and love.
This earnest, well-meaning film tells the true story of how Scottish soldier Eric Lomax finally confronted and defeated the deeply ingrained psychological demons which were the legacy of the horrendous physical and mental torture he was subjected to when taken prisoner by the Japanese in Singapore.
With countless others, he was made to play his part in building an "impossible" railway, there to suffer unimaginable deprivation, pain and hardship.The film takes a little while to get to this point as it introduces us to the older Lomax (played by Colin Firth) many years later, by now ironically, an expert on train schedules the length and breadth of the country when he happens to share a journey with his future wife, played by Nicole Kidman.
At first happily married, the blight of Lomax's past soon arises throwing him into turmoil as in nightmares he replays the terrible things that were done to him.Slightly oddly, he takes as his nemesis not the main torturer but rather a passive, but not insensitive, common soldier who looks the other way as Lomax's punishment is unsparingly administered until he decides to seek closure by taking the ultimate sanction in return, leading him to a Far Eastern journey and a final reckoning.I enjoyed the film and its low-key star performances by Firth and in particular Kidman, but did feel their star-status tended to dictate the actual screen-time they got over the younger actors playing Lomax and his army colleagues.
In the end-up, Lomax's inbred humanity leads him to an immense act of forgiveness which finally reconciles the two and frees both from the past.The violence meted out to the young Lomax is naturally lessened for the film camera as one can imagine the poor man suffering much much more in real life but like the employment of the star power on show, this was acceptable under the circumstances.
Kidman is graceful and reeks of devotion while Firth wears his heart on his sleeve for the audience and Sanada is just sort of impressive.Although the film did not work for me, I recognized that Eric Lomax's story is inspiring but the movie failed to help me connected with his amazing story.
Colin Firth does give a solid performance in the leading role, depicting a man in search of redemption for the injustice he suffered as a prisoner of war, and due to the story being based on real life events it does prove as incredibly moving.
Eric Lomax, a signals officer, is ordered to surrender with his unit to the Japanese imperial army and is sent to build the notorious Burma railway with thousands of other POWs.Although his engineering skills initially spare him the worst of the brutality and physical hardship endured by the men laying the tracks, events take a dramatic turn for the worse and Lomax endures unimaginable torment at the hands of a young Japanese intelligence officer.The script writers decided to use present-day Lomax as the story-telling device, where flashbacks to the Death Railway are interspersed with an ageing and tortured Lomax struggling to cope with his memories - and alienating his wife in the process.
The directing is spot on, there are no serious mistakes, shortcuts or flaws.This is a story that needed to be told, not just in a book or a in a low-budget made-for-TV film, but in a good movie like this one with talented actors like Kidman and Firth..
She learns that one of his tormentors, Takeshi Nagase (Hiroyuki Sanada) still lives, and gives him the opportunity to track him down and lay his demons to rest.One of the real 'word of mouth' pictures of the year, The Railway Man has come to some acclaim by quite a few, a high profile Brit flick with the reliable Colin Firth in the lead role and Nicole Kidman in support.
All of the actors put in good performances and Colin Firth captured the whole emotional side well, but for a true story, this movie would have been much better if it was in the right hands.
As for this movie, Firth & Kidman was a great choice to play these characters, but I it really is the pace of the storyline that let's it down.Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $17millionI recommend this movie to people who are into there deep dramas about a man who isn't able to forget his time in the Second World War. 3/10.
The Railway Man takes a long, affecting, but often slow-moving look at the scars the war inflicted on one man.Eric Lomax (played by Colin Firth in the present day and Jeremy Irvine during the war) is a lonely, gentle man who spends much of his day studying the train schedules of Great Britain.
In 1980, Eric (Colin Firth), traumatized WWII Pacific theatre veteran (and "railway enthusiast"—not "trainspotter") meets, (on a train, of course), long-time nurse Patti (Nicole Kidman).
Hype was extenuated when reliable actors Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman respectively jumped on board in the lead roles so it's quite disappointing that the melding of director and actors feels so muted.The downfall of the film is really centred around the lacking central romance and also the telling of Eric's time in captivity as played by War Horse actor Jeremy Irvine.
You never surrendered." "-I'm still at war."The Railway Man is one of those films that I find difficult to review because I find the underlying message to be a powerful and redeeming one, while I also find a lot of flaws with the pacing and time lapse of the story.
I felt like the film was rushing things to get to the important climactic scene near the end, but we never got much of a character arc for Eric's present and how he fell in love with Patti (played by Nicole Kidman).
The film opens by introducing us to Eric Lomax (Colin Firth), as he is boarding a train he sits next to the lovely Patti (Nicole Kidman) and they have a very friendly conversation.
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 time-lines 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.
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.
Firth gives an excellent performance in this true-life account of former British Army officer Eric Lomax who was a WWII POW brutally tortured by his Japanese captors whose actions long dormant awakens anew when his marriage to Kidman faces shattering.