Les Voies du destin

The Railway Man is a film whose mainstays are the central trio of actors and a story inspired by true events. Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman are good actors, I've seen that many times before, and for me the unknown Jeremy Irvine was a pleasant surprise. The story is a powerfully evocative drama that, as they say, only life itself could have written. A man struggling to come to terms with the demons of his past, on a quest for peace of mind, accompanied on this journey by a woman who is his support. I liked the layering of the story, mixing passages from the 40s and 80s, and the transitions felt completely natural, so I didn't get lost as a viewer. In short, a modest film at first glance, supported by a strong story and ensemble cast (22/03/2014)

A very interesting film about the complicated beginning of the British-Japanese friendship. The film’s assets include a strong theme and a good cast. The writing, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. The theme had a lot more potential, but I still think it is a film worth watching, and I appreciate that the filmmakers didn’t get carried away and turn the film into another Saw sequel. I also liked the smooth transitions between the past and present and the fact that the film focused on the psychological effects of the war rather than the war itself like The Great Raid. (16/08/2016)

It's a pity that the newcomer Jonathan Teplitzky had to learn how to make films on such an interesting topic as WW2. The cast is more than impressive, but the plot is hardly developing and the emotions somehow fail to appear. It takes some time before you start rooting for the refined, low-spoken, elegant and intellectual Colin Firth. There are plenty of things to work with, but they remain unused. The Railway Man wanted to approach Cold Mountain, and others with its form and emotional fatefulness, and failed. (11/05/2015)

A film about how difficult it is to come to terms with war. I understand such films, even though I wouldn't need to come to terms with war myself because I would most likely fall very soon due to my incompetence, but in this case, it seems overly dramatic and sometimes purposeless to me. It can be seen that the creators rely on the book, but that's the only thing. It is not well-directed, it is too slow, and even though Colin Firth is great because he can't act otherwise, I still couldn't identify with his hero. (07/07/2014)