Monday 20 January 2014

‘The Railwayman’ – Barbican Centre Cinema 2 - Sunday 19th January 2014


(Rated 6/5 ) 
Having given ’12 Years a Slave’ – seen last Sunday – a 6/5, ‘The Railwayman’ has to have at least the same. And maybe actually a little more for having a life-affirming resolution, but then again that would be biased – life so often does not resolve for people in such a special and therapeutic way as it did for Lomax, and someone else!, in this film and so to give it more marks would be like to penalise the truth and insult the experience and awful pain for those for whom it does not. So no, another 6/5 for ‘The Railwayman’. But a note that its ending is more satisfying and in comparison does make the ‘postscript’ for the characters in ’12 Years’ all the more painful and possibly anger-inducing. This film is no easier to watch though and I found myself screeching in horror at one particular scene of torture. But I’m ahead of myself – haven’t even explained anything about it! This is the story of railway enthusiast – as he calls himself Eric Lomax (Colin Firth (older) and Jeremy Irvine (younger)), a soldier in the army during the second world war, who is captured, along with comrades, by the Japanese and subjected to barbaric torture by them, via ‘translator’ Nagase (Hiroyuki Sanada (older) and Tanroh Ishida (younger)), in an attempt to abstract a confession from him when there was actually nothing he could confess to! The irony is painful – what he goes through, in essence due to his interest in the railways and a desire he and his comrades have to hear friendly voices from their homeland, is beyond unreasonable, beyond barbaric. If he’d actually been a spy maybe there would be an excuse! ‘The Railwayman’ is a very satisfyingly structured film. It opens as Lomax meets Patricia Wallace (Nicole Kidman) both passengers on a train and they fall in love. This is so gorgeously performed by the two of them – such an easy connection. In a lovely sequence their relationship rapidly heads to marriage and soon after we start to see Lomax’s symptoms of PTSD strike. His new wife wishes to help – in spite of the abuse he subjects her to as a result – and so we follow Lomax’s journey in flashback and onwards. Psychotherapists will adore this film! And anyone interested in the process of how those who majorly challenge us can become so dear and loved in our lives. I so want to say more but reviews are meant to entice you to wish to see it for yourselves and not spoil it so I shall resist temptation. Jeremy Irvine as younger Lomax is so cute and reflects Colin Firth’s performance superbly. Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman exhibit their true mastery of the acting art yet again as though it’s as easy as breathing.
I said ’12 Years’ was important to see. I’d label this one as ‘must-see’ J
Barbican Cinema2 – very comfortable with very nice red leather seats!


The Railwayman – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2014

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