Sinner and a Movie

With movies like God’s Not Dead, Heaven is for Real and Noah dominating our conversations about the Bible and the box office, one quiet little film has, I think, slipped past a lot of folk’s radars. Which is too bad, because of all the current films touching on faith, I think this one delivers the most impact, even though it’s not billed as a Christian film, nor does it clearly promote the gospel.

 The Railway Man is an astonishing story of forgiveness, made all the better because it’s true. It covers the emotional journey of Eric Lomax, a former British soldier who was captured and tortured by the Japanese during World War II after the British surrendered in Singapore. Their soldiers were relocated to Thailand, where they were put to forced labor building the notorious Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway. (The brutal conditions of their labor was also the subject of David Lean’s classic Bridge on the River Kwai.)

During his captivity, Lomax helped to secretly build a radio from spare parts to get news from the BBC and encourage his fellow prisoners. When the radio was discovered he was subjected to horrendous treatment, especially at the hands of one interrogator named Takashi.

Years after his release, as he tries to rebuild his life as a family man, post-traumatic stress sets in and his life is consumed with a combination of hatred and disorientation, driving him to finally confront the past he’s tried so hard to ignore. And in doing so – meeting and confronting Takashi along the way – he both tests and proves the Biblical principle of forgiveness.

The scenes between he and Takashi are downright electric, and thankfully this film doesn’t resort to trite dialogue, nor does it spare us a harsh look at the horrors of a Japanese POW camp. And though Lomax is seen quoting scripture a number of times, it’s unclear whether he’s a genuine believer or one who simply knows some of the Bible. Regardless, The Railway Man walks us alongside a man who stares down his own hatred and dares to take his rage to its source, where both men duke it out like men, not saints. It’s not pretty, but it’s beautiful, and the film left me more reflective than anything I’ve seen since
The Mission.

It’s rated R only for its violence. No nudity, the sex referenced is between man and wife, and the violence is necessary, not gratuitous. It doesn’t seem to be a big hit, nor is it getting wide theater play. (Though it features Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth; not exactly box office lightweights)  But if The Railway Man’s showing in your area, you might find, as I did, a movie you’ll chew over a long time after you’ve seen it.

Hope your weekend’s terrific. Thanks for being here. God bless.
Joe