THE RAILWAY MAN | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

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

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.

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