[Screen It]

 

"THE RAILWAY MAN"
(2014) (Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman) (R)


Alcohol/Drugs Mild
Blood/Gross Stuff Moderate
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude Extreme
Frightening/Tense Scenes Heavy
Gun/Weapons Moderate
Imitative Behavior Heavy
Jump Scenes Minor
Music (Scary/Tense) Extreme
Music (Inappropriate) None
Profanity Minor
Sex/Nudity Moderate
Smoking Minor
Tense Family Scenes Heavy
Topics to Talk About Extreme
Violence Heavy


QUICK TAKE:
Drama: A British WWII vet, plagued by post-traumatic stress disorder, seeks out the Japanese man who was involved in his torture during the war decades ago.
PLOT:
It's 1980 and a number of British WWII veterans, including Eric Lomax (COLIN FIRTH) and Finlay (STELLAN SKARSGARD), routinely get together but rarely talk about their service during the war. That point comes up later when Eric, a railway enthusiast, meets Patti (NICOLE KIDMAN) on a train. The two instantly hit it off and end up married, but his post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in the war starts to take a toll on their marriage. Patti asks Finlay for help, but he replies that they don't talk of such things.

And that's because in 1942 Young Eric (JEREMY IRVINE) and Young Finlay (SAM REID) were working as British engineers in Singapore when that city-state fell to the Japanese. Sent to Thailand, Eric, Finlay and many others were tasked with attempting to build a railroad through the jungle, an endeavor that took the lives of many POWs. When Eric is caught with a makeshift radio, he's subjected to torture by his captors, including translator Nagase Takashi (TANROH ISHIDA).

Back in the present and learning that Nagase (HIROYUKI SANADA) is still alive, Eric sets out to find and confront the man, not fully aware of what he'll do when he comes eye to eye with his former tormentor.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or are interested in the historical angle, it doesn't seem too likely.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For disturbing prisoner of war violence.


I have subscribed to ScreenIt for more than a decade. I check in every week to take advantage of their amazing services. Not only does their site provide a glimpse of exactly what content a movie offers, I've found the “Our Take” reviews and ratings for each movie to be right on the money every single time. I've referred dozens of friends to this service because my #1 resource for deciding whether or not to show a movie to my kids, or to see one myself, is ScreenIt.com!

Josh Nisbet
Director, State of CA Public Sector

I signed up to get Screen It weekly reviews a long time ago, when my kids were young and I wanted to know more about movies before we went to a theater or rented. Now one child is in law school, other in undergraduate, and I still read the weekly Screen Its! It helps me know what my husband and I want to see or rent, and what to have waiting at home that we all will enjoy when my "kids" come home. I depend on Screen It reviews. They usually just present the facts and let me decide if the movie is appropriate or of interest for my family and me. Thank you for providing that service, Screen It!

Patti Petree
Winston Salem, NC

I have 4 children who are now in college. I signed up for Screen It when my children were pre-teenagers. Often my children would ask to see a movie with a friend and I wished I could preview the movie prior to giving permission. A friend told me about ScreenIt.com and I found it to be the next best thing to previewing a movie. The amount of violence, sexual content, or language were always concerns for me and my husband as we raised innocent kids with morals. We constantly fought the peer pressure our kids received to see films that in our opinion were questionable. With the evidence we received at Screen It, our kids couldn't even fight us when we felt a film may have been inappropriate for them to watch. Thank you, Screen It. Continue to make this helpful service available to everyone, but especially the young parents.

Christine Doherty
Machesney Park, IL

Screenit.com is an amazing resource for parents, educators, church groups or anyone who wants to make an informed decision whether a movie is suitable for their viewing. The reviews and content descriptions are so detailed I am mystified how the reviewers can put them together.

Scott Heathe
Vancouver, BC

I love screen It! I don't know what I would do without it. It is well worth the membership. Before we take our son to the movies we check it out on screen it first. Thank you SO much for making it. Keep up the good work & keep 'em coming!!!

Patrina Streety
Moreno Valley California

Other new and recent reviews include:

[Around the World in 80 Days] [Family Camp] [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.