Director: Jonathan Teplitzky.
Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine, Stellan Skarsgard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tanroh Ishida.
Certificate: 15.
Running Time: 116 minutes.
Synopsis: Based on an incredible true story, Eric (Colin Firth) and Patti Lomax (Nicole Kidman) are newlyweds who must face Eric’s traumatic past as a prisoner of war. Only by confronting one of his captors can he lay his torment to rest.
Sometimes you find yourself torn between appreciating an extraordinary film and wondering whether you’ve been sucked in by a prime piece of Oscar-bait. It happens annually in the build-up to awards season and this year is no different. TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE, PHILOMENA, ALL IS LOST – the Academy will eat them up with a spoon and, depending on how cynical you’re feeling, you could be forgiven for feeling that we, the audience, are the middle ground traversed by producers en route to Oscar glory. Whether or not that’s the case, those films (and of course GRAVITY, which is a rare blockbuster with awards appeal) deserve the attention, the glory and, frankly, your money.
They’ve just been joined by a dark horse in the Oscar race. THE RAILWAY MAN is a powerful, heart wrenching drama about war, love, trauma, redemption, hatred and letting go. It stars Colin Firth in what is another triumph for a man who cannot move for career defining roles of late. He plays Eric Lomax, a former POW upon whose autobiography the film is based. His is a difficult story to experience but incredibly fulfilling, not least due to Firth. He plays Lomax as a sweet, funny man who likes the quiet life and enjoys trains. To see such psychological horror erupt from the poor man is as upsetting as it is engaging with the tale uncoiling in flashback as his days of internment are brought to life with beauty and brutality. The young Lomax is played by the uncanny Jeremy Irvine who captures not only the essence of the character, but that of Firth. His mannerisms, vocal inflections and the spooky physical resemblance create a portrait of a man that is exquisitely defined and utterly heartbreaking.
There is ample support from Nicole Kidman and Stellan Skarsgard, the latter providing some occasional comic relief and exposition as fellow veteran Finlay. However, they appear almost peripheral to Firth’s powerhouse performance, seemingly only there to further his character development and to expand his dimensions. Kidman is essentially wasted in a role that gives her very little to chew on, spending most of the running time crying and asking why her husband won’t let her in. Hiroyuki Sanada and Tanroh Ishida on the other hand are superb as the older and younger Takashi Nagase, respectively. He is the translator for Lomax’s captors during the war and was present for the interrogations and torture that he endured. Nagase becomes the focus for Lomax’s vengeful desires and whose punishment may be the only escape for his living nightmare. Sanada – who you may have seen in THE WOLVERINE – brings dignity and gravitas to a role that could so easily have been misrepresented, and the film’s final scenes with Firth and Sanada will certainly bring a lump to your throat.
THE RAILWAY MAN really should elicit nominations for director Teplitzky and screenwriters Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson. Sanada and Irvine deserve to slug it out for Best Supporting Male, but it seems unlikely that Firth will get past Redford or Hanks – though it’ll certainly fare better at the BAFTAs. Nevertheless, do not let your cynical side get the better of you. There is no doubt this film is gunning for Oscar glory, but it is an important and timely story that needs to be told. Like all great historical dramas, THE RAILWAY MAN draws parallels with the current social and political climate and it will resonate with many people for a long time to come.
[usr=4] THE RAILWAY MAN is released in UK cinemas on Friday 10th January.
