The Railway Man

Based on true events, The Railway Man follows WWII veteran Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) as he sets out to confront the man (Hiroyuki Sanada’s Takeshi Nagase) responsible for his torture during the war. The film, in its early stages, is concerned primarily with Eric’s tentative relationship with Nicole Kidman’s Patti, however, as the narrative initially details the pair’s meet-cute aboard a train and subsequent courtship – with the chemistry between Firth and Kidman ensuring that these scenes fare much better than one might’ve anticipated. It’s only as The Railway Man segues into its actual storyline, involving Eric’s WWI-era experiences, that the viewer’s interest begins to flag, as filmmaker Jonathan Teplitzky employs an almost excessively deliberate pace that dulls the emotional impact of several key sequences. (It’s clear, too, that Teplitzky’s lackadaisical sensibilities heighten the familiar nature of Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson’s screenplay.) Once it inevitably progresses into Eric’s confrontation of his wartime oppressor, The Railway Man has long-since passed the point of no return and established itself as a well-intentioned prestige picture that’s rarely as engrossing as its electrifying logline – which is too bad, to be certain, given the strength of its performances and early scenes.

** out of ****