‘The Railway Man’ Trailer: Colin Firth Confronts His Past In WWII Drama
Almost three years after he nabbed an Oscar forThe King’s Speech,Colin Firthis revisiting World War II from a very different perspective. Directed byJonathan Teplitzky(Burning Man),The Railway Mantells the true story of veteran Eric Lomax (Firth), who was held as a prisoner by the Japanese during the war.
Decades later, still haunted by that period of his life, Lomax seeks closure by tracking down the army officer (Hiroyuki Sanada) who once tortured him.Nicole Kidmanco-stars as Lomax’s wife, andStellan Skarsgårdas his best friend.Jeremy IrvineandTanroh Ishidaplay the younger versions of Lomax and his tormentor. Watch the trailer after the jump.
Despite having been forced to work on the Burma-Siam railway during his time as a POW, Lomax retains an enthusiastic love of trains. It’s on a train that he meets Patricia (Kidman), whom he quickly falls for and then marries. But as his PTSD threatens their marriage, he’s forced to face his past once and for all.
The story itself is undeniably moving, particularly since it’s based on Lomax’s own memoir, and reports from The Railway Man’s TIFF debut describe a sobbing audience. However, Teplitzky’s approach apparently leaves something to be desired.Varietycomplained that the film was “decidedly old-fashioned — and also dull as ditchwater,” whileTHRfound it “plodding” and “stodgy.”
On the plus side,Rope of Siliconadored the ending, enthusing that “the finale becomes the best part of the film, elegantly told and respectful of both the subject and not at all pandering to the audience.“The Guardianconcurred: “Teplitzky finishes with a kind of catharsis rarely on offer: meek and deeply felt, a mature and moving exorcism.”
Based on his best-selling memoir, The Railway Man tells the extraordinary and epic true story of Eric Lomax, a British Army officer who is tormented as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labour camp during World War II. Decades later, Lomax discovers that the Japanese interpreter he holds responsible for much of his treatment is still alive and sets out to confront him, and his haunting past. Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky, and starring Academy Award-winner Colin Firth, Jeremy Irvine, and Academy Award-winner Nicole Kidman, the film is a powerful tale of survival, love and redemption.
