The Railway Man
Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: April 11, 2014
7.1
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 55 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
37
Mixed:
15
Negative:
3
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
wornoutspinesFeb 12, 2015
It begins like a poorly executed romantic movie, too fast and a little messy. Then when we get to the thick of it, the heart of the story and Eric Lomax's history starts to make sense a little bit, but again it's executed poorly. TheIt begins like a poorly executed romantic movie, too fast and a little messy. Then when we get to the thick of it, the heart of the story and Eric Lomax's history starts to make sense a little bit, but again it's executed poorly. The photography is good, the actors gave a decent performance, so it must be the script or the director.

Since the film is based on a true story, it's a shame that there's such a lack of emotional involvement. It's not as gruesome as it could have been for movie War movie, the torture is kept to a minimum, so they could have pull on the audience's heart strings and play on the emotion card more. I needed to care, to feel for Eric Lomax but I never really did.

As I mentioned the cast gave a decent performance, they were good maybe not great but they were sensitive and raw. Jeremy Irvine is unrecognizable in this film but it feels like he was barely there. Kidman is graceful and reeks of devotion while Firth wears his heart on his sleeve for the audience and Sanada is just sort of impressive.

Although the film did not work for me, I recognized that Eric Lomax's story is inspiring but the movie failed to help me connected with his amazing story. I feel this is a hit or miss situation depending on who you are.

@wornoutspines… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
Trev29Sep 3, 2014
It has all the markings of what could have been a very good film, and in the end it was just decent. The last half and especially the ending made up for most of its faults though.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
csw12Aug 24, 2014
The Railway Man started out incredibly boring and somewhat confusing and only to the very end did it come alive to the point I cared just a little about what was happening.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
BshopAug 16, 2014
Decent film about prisoners of war and the resolutions of war.
Colin Firth does a swell job playing a British officer dealing with PTSD decades after the war when he finds a captor still alive. The young version of the officer (playingDecent film about prisoners of war and the resolutions of war.
Colin Firth does a swell job playing a British officer dealing with PTSD decades after the war when he finds a captor still alive. The young version of the officer (playing during the war) is great, much better than Firth as an older gentleman.
It was kind of confusing with the flashbacks happening so often, but I guess that's what happens when you make a movie that is all about the past.
In summary, decent flick about war although not as good as it is hyped up in the trailers. I would rent if possible or see on Netflix. Not worth a theater trip or buying, unless you like flashback-type movies.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
dierregiMay 25, 2015
Having watched this after "Unbroken" I could clearly appreciate the difference between a good movie about WWII in the Pacific and a terrible one. Colin Firth does a very good job as the troubled man who struggles to recover from the tortureHaving watched this after "Unbroken" I could clearly appreciate the difference between a good movie about WWII in the Pacific and a terrible one. Colin Firth does a very good job as the troubled man who struggles to recover from the torture and pain of his days as a prisoner (PSD, if I ever saw a case). He is helped in his recovery by his new wife and a fellow veteran. Nothing particularly new, but a story well told. Pity about the uninspiring title.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
LowbrowCinemaApr 23, 2014
THE RAILWAY MAN is a lovely, small film about intimacy, love, and forgiveness. The film spends too much time in the past which is actually exactly what the film is all about--resolving past nightmares. The chemistry between Firth and KidmanTHE RAILWAY MAN is a lovely, small film about intimacy, love, and forgiveness. The film spends too much time in the past which is actually exactly what the film is all about--resolving past nightmares. The chemistry between Firth and Kidman is truly remarkable and very touching. These are two people who clearly love and care for each other. I wish the film knew better what it really was but all in all -- lovely. I'm not British, but THE RAILWAY MAN'S modern stiff upper lip would make me proud to be a Brit.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
OpinionatedDec 5, 2014
Call me a book worm, or possibly a movie sceptic but The Railway Man for me was a bit of a let down. After reading the book numerous times, I was so excited when I learned of the movie release. After watching the movie, however, I realisedCall me a book worm, or possibly a movie sceptic but The Railway Man for me was a bit of a let down. After reading the book numerous times, I was so excited when I learned of the movie release. After watching the movie, however, I realised that there was a lot of information in the book that was missing from the film. For me, the film seemed more focused on the relationship between Eric and Patti (who are beautifully represented by Firth and Kidman) than on the actual events. Although there is details of the events and the building of the railway, in my opinion it seemed that the average viewer who has not read the book would be misinformed of just how long these events actualy went on for and the brutality that occured almost constantly.

It is for this, and other reasons which I will not mention as I don't want to misguide people from watching the film themselves that I sadly give The Railway Man 5 / 10.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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