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Film Review - Railway Man

Stars - Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman

Inspired by real events circa WW II.

Story of a rail enthusiast Brit, Mr. Lomax, who has served in the second war in SE Asia.  He is living with the nightmares of being tortured by the Japanese Imperial Army as a prisoner in their camps in Thailand.  The movie is based on the story of these British soldiers that were humiliated and made to slave to build the railway line from Thailand to Burma (now called Myanmar).

Today there are luxury train rides available on this route starting from Singapore in the south going all the way north into Myanmar that cost a pretty pound.

Colin Firth plays the role of a signal engineer that has stood up to the brutal interrogations and beatings when his cadre is discovered to be building a secret radio in the camp.  Memories of the treatment at the hands of Japanese soldiers has kept him suffering deep inside for decades until he runs into Nicole Kidman's character on a train journey in the English country.

She later becomes his wife and helps him fight the fear and depression that he has kept bottled inside.  He makes a trip to the camps in Thailand again to confront one of his captors who has been providing guided tours of the area.  Scenery of the bridge over the river Kwai - which I visited few years back - is one of the key shoot locations in this film.

After threatening the Japanese translator (army soldier) who had assisted his military command's wishes to extract information from Lomax using brutal techniques decades ago, Lomax discovers that they both have suffered in their own way and it is time to bury the hatchet.  He forgives the Japanese man and eventually becomes friends.

Both good actors with Colin Firth again dominating in his role of Mr. Lomax brings a wonderful tale of deep suffering and forgiveness to the silver screen.

Definitely a must see.

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