![]() However, despite pacing issues, most evident early in the film, patient viewers will be rewarded with a powerful heartfelt closing that should stimulate the tear ducts. At times, director Jonathan Teplitzky is a bit too arty for the film's good his wide-screen images are sometimes self-consciously composed and holding the camera on static shots of characters thinking or remembering may be mesmerizing for some viewers, but tedious for others. Under the influence of this shock he starts making mistakes. Colin Firth gives another powerful, if underplayed, performance in a still rising career of memorable roles Firth alone is reason enough to see the movie. Train operator Andrea Marcocci has to witness the suicide of a desperate man who jumps in front of his train. Tanroh Ishida and Hiroyuki Sanada are excellent in key roles as Japanese guard and interpreter.Unlike the David Lean classic, "The Railway Man" is no action thriller, but rather a psychological examination of the lingering effects of war's brutalities on the survivors, both the victors and the vanquished. Stellan Skarsgard has a short, but effective role, as Finlay, the mature version of Lomax's prison mate, who helps Patti delve into Eric's past. The rest of the film's cast is also fine Jeremy Irvine does well as the young Eric, who convinces viewers that he could age into Colin Firth. Unfortunately, Nicole Kidman's perfect complexion and carefully made-up demeanor work against any verisimilitude as Patti, the loyal, loving wife of an introverted man with dark secrets once beyond her looks, however, she does an earnest capable job in the undemanding role. Colin Firth portrays Eric in a restrained internalized performance that simmers with efforts to suppress harrowing memories, pent-up anger, and a thirst for vengeance. Once wed, Eric's suppressed demons from his war experiences surface, and Patti attempts to unravel her husband's mysteries and reclaim the man that she loves. Academy Award winners Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman star in the true story of Eric Lomax, a British soldier in World War II who endured gruelling conditions. However, in flashback, the cinematography shifts to warmer hues that imbue the tropical prison camp scenes shot around Kanchanaburi, Thailand, and the actual rail line that crosses the River Kwai.The film's outer layer is a love story between an aging unkempt railway enthusiast, Eric Lomax, and a younger woman, Patti, whom he meets during a train journey. Over time, and in several mostly unrelated incidents, they learn to love their new home and the people in it. But they didn't.Scene and unfurl in a bleak and monochromatic Scotland. Dinah Sheridan Jenny Agutter Sally Thomsett Gary Warren) - begin to pass the time by waving to the passengers on the train as it goes by, and they become friendly with station porter Albert Perks ( Bernard Cribbins ). Perhaps if the filmmakers had made a firm decision either way, the movie would have been better. It relies too heavily on music, pseudo-mysterious close-ups, and oblique references to secrets untold. And in its war movie incarnation, the film also falls short, pushing the audience to feel deeply when it doesn't deserve the commitment. Based on a true story, Colin Firth plays a World War II veteran who built the Death Railway, setting out to find his torturers. Which would be fine, if the movie had actually given her more to do than just appear concerned and ready to come to the rescue of a damaged man. You get the feeling that Kidman being cast as Eric's wife demanded a beefing up of their relationship storyline. And in many ways, as the latter, it's sensitive, empathetic, and moving. But then it quickly becomes apparent that it's also a war movie. It starts as what appears to be a romance, an exploration of the relationship between two equals, one more self-actualized than the other. But this version is pulled in two different directions. In another time and place, it could have been Oscar bait. THE RAILWAY MAN is a lesser movie than it should be, packaged as it is with gorgeous cinematography, atmospheric music, and a star-studded cast.
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