The Railway Man
Director: Jonathan Teplitzky
Year Released: 2013
Rating: 3.0
Former British soldier and railroad enthusiast Lomax (Colin Firth) meets his soul-mate (Nicole Kidman) while riding on a train around England, but their relationship is hindered by his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which came as a result of his time being tortured by the Japanese in Singapore. As touching as Lomax and his wife's real-life meeting must have been - this is, after all, based on a true story - it feels 'glossed over' when compared to the flashbacks of Lomax's abuse at the hands of Secret Police Officer Nagase (Tanroh Ishida), which suggests that revenge, even if served cold, is still not the most satisfactory dish. That the real Lomax and Nagase were able to actually patch up their conflict and become friends (!) is an unbelievable story (the anti-Death and the Maiden), but it goes to show how powerful acceptance and forgiveness are.
