It's no classic but still worth the journey

THE Railway Man is a grim human drama that traces the extraordinary true story of Eric Lomax, a British officer who survived war, torture and forced labour at the hands of the Japanese only to return to the scene of the crime decades later to confront the man most responsible for his suffering.

Lomax never recovered from the trauma but he found a measure of solace in a lifelong love for trains, a bestselling book he wrote about his wartime experience and the love of a woman who helped to free him from a psychological prison. It's emotionally gripping stuff, although The Railway Man never takes full advantage of the material at its disposal, moving at a deliberate pace and choosing a more low-key (and possibly duller) route.

The film begins in 1980, when World War II has been over for 35 years. For Lomax (Colin Firth), however, the war goes on - in his head. Outwardly, he leads a solitary life in Scotland, occupied by books and a near-encyclopaedic knowledge of train timetables. On occasion, he meets fellow war veterans but for many, the war is still off-limits - their behaviour is ruled by a code of silence.