The Railway Man
Short description
The Railway Man tells the true story of Eric Lomax, a British signals officer captured by Japanese forces during the Second World War and sent to work on the Thailand-to-Burma railway, a project built by forced labour that became known as the Death Railway. Tortured in the camp by a young Japanese officer, Lomax survives the war but carries the experience with him for decades, unable to leave it behind. His second wife, Patti, learns that the man who tortured him is still alive, and Lomax must decide whether to meet him.
Colin Firth plays the older Eric, with Nicole Kidman as Patti and Stellan Skarsgård as Finlay, a fellow former prisoner. Jeremy Irvine portrays Eric as a young man, while Hiroyuki Sanada and Tanroh Ishida play the Japanese officer Nagase in his older and younger years. Jonathan Teplitzky directed from a screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson. It was the first of Teplitzky's three films to date, followed by Churchill in 2017 and Spit in 2025.
The film was a co-production involving Australia, the United Kingdom, Thailand, France and Switzerland, made for a budget of about 18 million US dollars and taking roughly 24 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.1 from around 44,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.8 from fewer than 800 votes. A critics' rating of 6.4 from 126 reviews places it slightly below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- A film adaptation of the eponymous autobiographical bestseller by Eric Lomax.
- The real Patti Lomax attended the film's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2013. After the screening, the entire audience gave her a standing ovation.
- Initially, Rachel Weisz was considered for the role of Patti, but she had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts. Ultimately, the role went to Nicole Kidman, who was suggested for the project by Colin Firth.
- Jeremy Irvine was cast as young Eric after Colin Firth recommended him. Colin Firth himself played the role of adult Eric in the film.
- Filming began in April 2012 in Edinburgh and North Berwick in East Lothian and St Monans in Fife, and several scenes were also shot in Thailand, Ipswich, and Queensland (Australia).
- The author of the novel and the film’s main character, Eric Lomax, passed away on October 8, 2012, less than a year before the film's release. The film is dedicated to his memory.
- The Kanchanaburi prisoner-of-war camp was not captured by American paratroopers. The camp was liberated by British and Indian infantry.
- When Eric and Patti are lying naked in bed after Eric returns from his first trip to Thailand, it is clearly visible that Patti is wearing tights.
- Young Lomax shows the soldiers a map and explains that they traveled for four days by prisoner-of-war train before heading west. At the same time, Lomax shows absolutely no signs of stubble.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
