This movie is under the radar but it is a MUST SEE!
This is true story based on the book of the same name by Eric Lomax. Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) is suffering from PTSD and is nearly a zombie. He was tortured in WW II at a Japanese prisoner of war camp. He is walled off emotionally due to buried rage about what happened. The movie travels in time between the camp and the present (probably too much). While on a train in 1980 he meets Patty Wallace (Nicole Kidman) and falls in love with her. They soon marry but Eric is so messed up the marriage is doomed unless he can get better.
Lomax learns that his torturer Nagase (Hiroyuki Sanada ) is alive so he decides to return to Japan to confront his enemy and get revenge. What occurs between them is one of the most profound and emotionally powerful interactions I’ve ever seen on film.
The torture scenes are difficult to watch but necessary to understand what Lomax went through and why he is such a mess. Firth is amazing and he will no doubt get an AW nomination for his performance which I think is even better than the one he gave in “The King’s Speech”.
This is my favorite movie of 2014 so far.
Rating 8.5-top 10 movie
Dave
