The Railway Man Review
RYAN: I love Nicky Kidman and we haven’t seen her in a while – she wasn’t up for anything last awards season so it’s nice to see her again. War is the one genre I really struggle with but very rarely, there’s a war movie that surprises me and this is such a case.
CAROLINE: That is indeed a rare occurrence. What was it about this one that got to you?
RYAN: Well it is still a very difficult to watch, heinous true war story – it’s based on the real life events of WW II Veteran Eric Lomax, played by Colin Firth. But in the end, I enjoyed it. It’s inspiring and really pushes you to think about how you would handle what he experienced. It’s super interesting.
CAROLINE: So how were Colin and Nicole in it?
RYAN: Both great – but so is Jeremy Irvine, the boy from War Horse. He plays a young Colin Firth and he’s wonderful – just a brilliant younger actor. Nicole is relatively plain but she’s such a chameleon and loses herself in the role. And Colin has a lot to convey. He plays a tortured soul and pulled it off – but this just in: they’re all great actors, so I’m happy they met high expectations.
CAROLINE: They are both really good.
RYAN: And the bit of the film that focuses on their romance is just fabulous. I love their chemistry and they must have had fun working together. It’s like the movie is a bit of a romantic drama at that moment. I would have really loved to see the whole movie that way.
CAROLINE: Alas, it is a war story.
RYAN: Tes and the war bits are so so so disturbing! And to know that it actually happened is just mind-blowing and crazy. It makes me both angry and terrified. This is the stuff that really scares me; not horror movies, war movies, because they really happened.
CAROLINE: That is stressing and upsetting, for sure.
RYAN: It’s almost like a Holocaust movie at some points. American solderer was captured by the Japanese and forced into work camps on a railroad, thus The Railway Man.
CAROLINE: Ah, yes. It all comes together.
RYAN: Ultimately it’s a tale of humanity and shows the worst and the best of what people can achieve – this movie could change you and how you think… it made an impact on me for sure. I recommend it.
