Analysis of 'The Railway Man' Film: War and Redemption

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the film 'The Railway Man,' which is based on the autobiography of Eric Lomax, a British soldier and prisoner of war. The analysis delves into the film's plot, focusing on Lomax's experiences during World War II, his torture, and his struggles with post-war trauma. It explores the central themes of war, forgiveness, and redemption, as Lomax confronts his past and the Japanese interrogator, Takashi Nagase. The report examines the historical and cultural background of the film, including the Second World War and the impact of war on individuals and relationships. It evaluates the film's plot, flashbacks, and point of view, highlighting its effectiveness in portraying the psychological effects of war. The analysis also includes a contextual analysis and references to the movie and related materials.

The Railway Man
FILM ANALYSIS – THE RAILWAY MAN
Introduction
The movie “The Railway Man” was released in 2013, and was directed by Jonathan
Teplitzky (Lomax, Boyce, & Paterson, 2013). It is an adaptation of the book that goes by the
same name, which is an autobiography of Eric Lomax, a British soldier who was held Prisoner of
War in the Second World War. The movie is of the genre war drama, and is the interpretation of
the true story of Lomax’s post-war, and his redemption. The reality of post-war trauma and how
Lomax struggles to overcomes it is the main point being explored in this movie. Eric Sutherland
Lomax, the author of the book which was the base for this movie was a World War II veteran,
and was a member of The Freedom Association. He was born in 1919, and took a fancy for
railways and locomotives since his childhood, which proved to be a turning point in his life. He
died in 2012 at the age of 93.
I choose this movie as it primarily focused on the psychological aspect of war, which is
mostly left unnoticed. My personal opinion on this movie is that it was a different experience
altogether; it had transported me to the time of the War, and had a surreal experience on me. It
also focuses on how holding grudges and enmities for long would do more harm than good, and
that forgiveness could be liberating.
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The Railway Man
Summary
Lomax, Boyce, & Paterson, (2013) The Railway Man
The movie revolves around the real life story of Eric Lomax and his life before, during
and after the Second World War. The movie starts with Eric Lomax’s (played by Colin Firth)
toils in the Japanese Prisoners of War camp, where he is subject to all forms of torture, including
water boarding, because he was suspected of being a British spy. He tries to move on forgetting
the past, but the face of a certain Japanese interrogator still remains vivid in his memory. The
story moves on to thirty years after the war, where Lomax is seen to be suffering with post-war
trauma. His friend stumbles upon the autobiography of that interrogator, known to be Takashi
Nagase (played by Hiroyki Sanada), and shows it to Lomax before committing suicide. Lomax
along with Patricia (played by Nicole Kidman) writes to Nagase and they decide to meet. Upon
meeting, Lomax vents his pent up anger and vengeance, and tries to hurt Nagase just as the
Japanese soldiers had hurt him, but could not do so. Ultimately, Lomax forgives Nagase, and the
two of them move on with their lives. In the epilogue, it is mentioned that both Lomax and
Nagase remained as friends until their deaths which occurred a year after the other.
Brown, C., Curbishley, B., Paterson, A. (Producers), Lomax, E., Boyce, F., Paterson, A.
(Writers), & Teplitzky, J. (Director). (2013). The Railway Man [Motion Picture]. UK,
Australia: Lionsgate.
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The Railway Man
Contextual Analysis
This movie was released in 2013, after the deaths of both Eric Lomax and Takashi
Nagase. The historical background that was explored is the Second World War and lifestyle of
the United Kingdom and Japan at that time. There is a substantial time gap between the
occurrences of the events and the prevailing sentiments of World peace and democracy in the
post-war period. However, as this story was the adaptation of an autobiography written in 1993
by the main protagonist himself, there seems to be a balance between the happenings and the
depiction, and so the historical and cultural background of the story has not influenced the
narrative much.
As this was a movie adaptation, there were definitely a few modifications to the original
text made (History Vs Hollywood, 2018). For example, Eric Lomax’s first wife and the mother
of two of his children Agnes was completely absent from the movie, while she occupied a
significant role in the book. In the movie, Lomax was shown to have a murderous intent towards
Nagase, but in reality he sought a closure. The death of Lomax’s friend was also inaccurate, as
he had died of natural causes and not suicide as depicted in the movie. The story was written
when Lomax was at peace with his scarred past, thus he was able to provide redemption to his
life of struggles. As this story was a depiction of true events, the horrors of the tortures faced by
the prisoners of war, though unspeakably disturbing to handle, were confirmed to be portrayed
accurately. The fact that the movie could not do justice to the tortures was based on humanitarian
grounds.
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The Railway Man
Evaluation
The purpose of the movie was to address the effects of war over the time, and explore on
the post-war trauma which is usually taken to their graves by those who suffer from it. This
movie was made to depict the long term effects of trauma on life and relationships (Logan,
2014). Three criteria for judgment – the plot, the flashback, and the Point of View are selected,
and will be applied to the movie to judge of this movie.
The plot of the movie focuses on a real life story – the story of a soldier being tortured at
the hands of the enemy camp. The script involves Eric Lomax’s experiences as a young soldier
being captured and tortured in the war, and his and struggles with post-war trauma. His personal
enmity towards Takashi Nagase, a Japanese interrogator, and his struggle towards forgiving him
and coming to terms with his past have been succinctly portrayed. The relationship between
Lomax and Patricia, a war nurse who would eventually become his partner is also portrayed. The
plot holds significance, as it is a war movie, which makes one viewing it feel poignant and
overwhelming.
One of the core concepts of this script is the flashback, which occurs regularly and forms
the crux of the story. Eric Lomax and Takashi Nagase have to deal with the demons of their past
– vengeance and guilt respectively. Their forgettable memories of their past association as
antagonists are clearly depicted by flashbacks, which enables them to forgive each other. Also,
the flashbacks depict the horrors of the war, which make the viewers feel grateful for the peace
and law that we complain about today.
As this movie is an autobiographical adaptation, the criterion of point of view is much
highlighted, from Lomax’s point of view. Even though Nagase’s perspective is shown, it is
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shown as a “tale within the tale”, which dilutes its strength a bit. However, Lomax was the
person who bore the brunt of both tortures during the war and post-war trauma his point of view
gains more weightage here. The movie is an excellent option for those willing to understand
what War really does to humans (Barnet, 2014).
Conclusion
This movie was chosen to state that holding grudges and enmities for long would do
more harm than good, and that forgiveness could be liberating. The bitterness of Lomax and the
guilt of Nagase was the cause for the redemption, which was largely supported by their family
and friends. This movie has reiterated the fact that forgiveness indeed is a great trait, and can
heal a scarred soul. Contrarily, if Lomax had not forgiven Nagase, both of them would have
lived a live without closure, and would have died miserable deaths, leaving their families in
bitterness too. As a person who loved the movie, I would recommend this movie to all people
who are interested in the war genre, to psychiatrists, to those whose loved ones are suffering
from mental trauma, and to those who want to forgive someone but still are holding on to
vengeance. It is a great movie with a strong script and well played artistes.
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The Railway Man
REFERENCES
Barnet, L. (2014). A torture rehabilitation expert's view on The Railway Man. The Guardian.
History Vs Hollywood. (2018, October 16). The Railway Man (2014). Retrieved ctober 16, 2018,
from History Vs Hollywood: http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/railway-man/
Logan, B. (2014). The Making of The Railway man. HuffPost.
Brown, C., Curbishley, B., Paterson, A. (Producers), Lomax, E., Boyce, F., Paterson, A.
(Writers), & Teplitzky, J. (Director). (2013). The Railway Man [Motion Picture]. UK,
Australia: Lionsgate.
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