The Railway Man (Firth, Kidman, Skarsgård)

[Holmes]

My review/thoughts -

The Railway Man is a decent film based on a profound true story. To be honest, I am convinced the inherent depth of the story compensates for certain shortcomings and structural flaws it exhibits as a piece of cinema. Colin Firth stars as Eric, an introverted railway enthusiast haunted by his time as a Japanese prisoner during the Second World War. Shortly after he seduces and weds a woman he meets during one of his train journeys, his spiritual instability is once again revealed. Concerned for him, his new wife investigates the details of the wartime experience he is reticent to explain himself. The story is further complicated when Eric learns one of his Japanese tormentors is still alive and is in fact the curator at a war museum. His fractured mind cannot help but turn to vengeance. This is, at its core, a rewarding story of post-traumatic reconciliation, and it is hard not to be moved by its implications. Its destination is momentous, and it is heartening to know it is true.

Firth is in fine form and delivers one of his most captivating performances by lacing his usual reserved charm with potent hints of desperation and blind rage, raising the question of how much a decent man can withstand and remain himself. On the other hand, there are definite imperfections in The Railway Man. I am not convinced it 100-percent reconciles its dual interests: grit and grandeur. It is as if it is caught on the precarious line separating a direct, foul, hard, p*ss-and-sh*t portrayal of the physical degradation of war from a more sanitized, sentimental story of cinema-friendly youthful daring and the-lad-fought-on national pride. Both are viable, but it is distracting to see the film again and again lean one way then another. Also, the decision to structure the overall picture as a mystery in which the objective truth of the past is only slowly revealed gives it a certain busy and haphazard quality, during its first act in particular when Eric's wife (played well by an underutilized Nicole Kidman, a tremendous pro in regard to portraying romantic despair) drives the action before the film largely disregards her as the character of Eric rightly inherits and propels his own storyline.

B