As World War II plunges the world into conflict around him, a young engineer named Eric Lomax is serving in the British Army when his company is ambushed and taken captive by Japanese forces while stationed in Singapore. For several years he and his comrades are forced to build a railway between Burma and Siam. Eric's only source of relief comes in the form of a makeshift radio which allows the prisoners to hear how the war is going on the outside, as well as a few maps Eric drew of the railway to figure out where they were. Their Japanese captors soon find the radio and the maps, and torture Eric for information because they believe he is a spy.
Years after the war finds Eric - as well as several other survivors - a shell of the man he once was. The only way he finds any peace is through riding the train all throughout England. While riding the train he meets a young woman named Patti. He eventually falls in love and marries her, but he still feels like something is missing. It isn't until a friend who served with Eric mentions that one of his captors is still alive that he finally feels like he can get some peace. What follows is a remarkable story of mercy, forgiveness, and redemption.
The Railway Man is definitely one of the better films to be released this year. In the beginning I almost thought it was going to be boring because it had a few pacing issues, but after the first 10-15 minutes the story and acting got monumentally better. The one thing I most appreciated was the redemption/forgiveness aspect of the story. I do enjoy a good revenge action flick now and then, but it is refreshing to see a change towards a more positive note.
While I do in general recommend it, especially to people who enjoy films based on a true story, I feel like I have to also caution people because there are a few scenes of torture that might make some people a bit queasy. For those that can handle these scenes, however, I highly recommend The Railway Man.
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