The Railway Man Review

Hard-hitting and incredibly emotive and inspiring, The Railway Man is something everyone should read or watch. Starring Colin Firth, Jeremy Irvine and Nicole Kidman, it’s a truly affecting film.

Firth plays the part of Eric Lomax, a WW2 engineer and railway enthusiast, perfectly. He’s charming at the beginning and exceptionally admirable at the end. Firth is very convincing as Lomax, right the way through the film. Jeremy Irvine, who plays the Young Eric Lomax, had, undoubtedly, a more difficult job. He not only had to act as Eric, but also act as Colin playing Eric. Not only that, but he agreed to pretty much starve himself for 2 months for the role, and endure some very real waterboarding for the film.

The movie was much better than I expected it to be, and has definitely given me a lot to think about. It’s one of those films that you don’t forget easily, and stays with you for a long time afterwards; the best kind of films, in my opinion. Eric Lomax was an honourable and admirable person, and I can’t help but think that if were more people like him in the world, more generous with mercy and compassion and forgiveness, then maybe the world would be a better place. Eric could so easily have had his revenge on Nagase, a Japanese Army officer and interpreter, but he refrained, and became good friends with his worst enemy, up until the day they died.

The picture was directed amazingly and the minimalistic soundtrack emphasised every second of the film. With powerful eastern music and long stretches of silence, the film was both suspenseful and very emotional and hard to watch at times.

I can’t even begin to comprehend the suffering of so many races and religions that is caused by war, but I definitely feel as though The Railway Man has given me an insight into a part of WW2 that I didn’t even know existed. It’s definitely worth seeing, or reading Eric Lomax’s autobiography, from which the film was inspired.

On a lighter note, I saw my old Year 6 teacher at the cinema, and I’m glad I was sat down so she couldn’t tell me how much I’ve grown.