Colin Firth …Colin Firth in The Railway ManThere are few cinematic territories quite like the Second World War. Between those six fateful years so much devastation and anguish was caused worldwide, that millions of individual stories transpired, all different from the next, yet equally as fascinating as the other. In Jonathan Teplitzky’s The Railway Man, we look into one of these unique and personal tales, analysing the psychological impact and emotional distress amongst soldiers after the war – a tale that has now been crucially immortalised on screen.

Colin Firth plays Eric Lomax, a middle aged man harbouring quite an obsession with the railway – and it’s on a train up to Scotland where he meets Patricia (Nicole Kidman), who he proceeds to fall in love with, and marry. However it becomes apparent that Eric is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, haunted by nightmares of his time spent as a Japanese prisoner of war, where he was forced to help build the ‘Death Railway’ during WW2 (played in flashbacks by Jeremy Irvine). However he has a big decision to make when, later on in life, the opportunity arises to confront the man who tormented him.

The Railway Man tells an incredibly rich and intriguing tale that comes with so much emotional gravitas, though you never feel quite convinced that Firth has it in him to seek brutal revenge on a man who tortured him, taking you out of the story at times. If there is one word you wouldn’t use to describe Firth, it’s barbaric. That being said, in certain moments the picture is enhanced by that distinctive vulnerability he brings to the role, as his inherently endearing nature provides the film with a level of sincerity. You know that for such a noble, seemingly placid man to be so driven by vengeance, that he must have endured some harrowing hardships.

However what doesn’t help matters, is the way this film begins, in a far too jovial manner, setting the tone somewhat differently to how this eventually pans out. At the very start it feels like a frivolous romantic comedy, and then suddenly we shift towards becoming a deep rooted psychological war drama, yet given the fluffy opening act, Teplitzky hasn’t quite earned the audiences’ faith to continue on with him as the film progresses into dark places. Nonetheless, there is no doubt a good chemistry between Kidman and Firth, while Irvine does a fine job subtly impersonating the latter, feeling authentic without contrivance, as you fully believe they’re portraying the same person.

Teplitzky has structured his film masterfully, as the way this tale is told, intertwining between various flashbacks, is completely seamless. There is no denying that The Railway Man is real Oscar bait, as it’s been made in such a way that you can’t help but feel that one eye was always on the forthcoming awards ceremony, as a film that no doubt hopes to get its hands on a few miniature, naked gold men. However whether that’ll actually happen is another matter altogether, as this picture struggles to quite engage you in the way it should, not quite making full use of the intriguing source material.

[Rating:3/5]

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