The Railway Man
2013 · Movie · R · 116 min · ★ 6.8 · 63% critics
A former prisoner of war, still haunted by brutal captivity on a wartime railway project, struggles to rebuild a normal life years later. When new information surfaces about those involved, he faces a painful choice between revenge, closure, and the possibility of moving forward, with the support of someone close to him.
Based on The Railway Man
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Details
- Years
- 2013
- Release date
- 2013-12-02
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 63/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (783 votes)
- Box office
- $22,320,893
- Budget
- $26,000,000
About
If you want a serious, emotional WWII story focused on long-term trauma and moral questions rather than battlefield action, this may land well; Not for you if you avoid distressing torture scenes or slower pacing like Enemy at the Gates.
Pros: moving true-story drama; strong performances; thoughtful on trauma | Cons: slow, patchy pacing; tough prison-camp scenes; romance distracts some
Themes
- post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)
- world war ii
- victim
- redemption
- based on true story
- autobiography
- revenge
- torture
Awards & recognition
- AACTA Award — Best Original Music Score · 2014
- AACTA Award — Best Adapted Screenplay · 2014
- AACTA Award — Best Cinematography · 2014 · nominated
- AACTA Award — Best Costume Design · 2014 · nominated
- AACTA Award — Best Adapted Screenplay · 2014 · nominated
Show all 8 awards →
- AACTA Award — Best Original Music Score · 2014 · nominated
- AACTA Award — Best Sound · 2014 · nominated
- AACTA Award — Best Film · 2014 · nominated
Cast & crew
Colin Firth
as Eric
Nicole Kidman
as Patti
Stellan Skarsgård
as Finlay
Jeremy Irvine
as Young Eric
Hiroyuki Sanada
as Nagase
Tanroh Ishida
as Young Nagase
Michael MacKenzie
as Sutton
- JD
Jeffrey Daunton
as Burton
Tom Stokes
as Withins
Bryan Probets
as Major York
Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky