Review: 'The Railway Man', Starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman

There are some stories, in the right hands, that flourish on film. But probably one of the hardest things is translating a story based on true events onto the screen. The story behind the work may be fascinating, but how it translates onscreen is what separates it from being an interesting one in verbal form to a well-realized visual masterpiece. The Railway Man is such a film that sounds unique on paper, but doesn't translate well on film, mostly due to director Jonathan Teplitzky's dull storytelling tactics. 

Eric Lomax (Colin Firth/Jeremy Irvine) is fascinated by trains. He knows everything about them, their engineering specifications, where they travel, their history. It's on this train that he meets his wife Patricia (Nicole Kidman). But soon after they marry (and that's an

understatement because their troubles begin on their honeymoon), Eric begins having flashbacks and is overwhelmed by his memories of his past as a Japanese prisoner of war during World War II. 


Patricia, taken aback by Eric's dark spiral downward and at a loss of what to do, seeks out his longtime friend Finlay (Stellan Skarsgard/Sam Reid) to help her understand what's going on with her husband. A horror story unfolds as Finaly relays to her their time as prisoners of war and the mental and physical torture done to Eric by the hands of Japanese soldier Agase (Hiroyuki Sanada/Tanroh Ishida). And in order for Eric to finally move forward, he must go back and confront his past, and Agase himself, after realizing that the man's still alive. 

The trouble with the movie isn't that the story itself is uninteresting, but it's the filmmaking that's dull, slow, and not captivating. The scenes bounce back and forth between past and present, and there are some that are there for a reason only the director may understand. The entire thing plays out as though it's supposed to be moving and emotionally striking, but isn't. 

Nicole Kidman's character is meant to be a savior of sorts to Colin Firth's tortured soul, but she is entirely underutilized and isn't given much to do besides just standing around. Even when Firth goes back to visit his torturer, it doesn't resonate in a way that it should. There's just no fire to any of it. We never understand why Firth's character is suddenly struggling to deal with something that happened to him over 40 years ago, nothing to indicate if there's something specific which triggers his flashbacks. Everything just happens, but it feels more like the film just tries to gain the audience's sympathies without giving us any sentimental attachment to what's happening. 

This isn't to take away from anyone's performance. Hiroyuki Sanada in particular is the stand out in the film. The few scenes he's in near the end completely captivate the audience and he's able to make you feel sorry for a man who made all the wrong choices 40 years prior and is in deep regret of them. Stellan Skarsgard's character also is more sympathetic than Firth's. You can see the guilt on his face every time we see him and his final act, though abrupt, is understandable in the scheme of things. 

The script isn't gripping like this kind of story should be. Based on the book by Eric Lomax, The Railway Man gives us facts, but struggles to keep the audience's attention with its slow-going and emotionally distant script. The scenes cut back and forth too abruptly at times and the film has a difficult times reaching a dramatic climax. Everything just kind of happens, but there's never anything to indicate any change in progress that leads us to every scene. Disappointing and frustratingly underwhelming.