Movie Reviews: The Railway Man & Dom Hemingway

Jerry Williams
May 1, 2014

• 

• Tweet

Read More: Colin Firth, Demian Bichir, Dom Hemingway, jude law, movie reviews, Nicole Kidman, Richard E. Grant, Stellan Skarsgård, The Railway Man

The Railway Man

Director: Jonathan Teplitzky
Writers: Frank Cottrell Boyce (screenplay), Andy Paterson (screenplay), 1 more credit »
Stars: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgård

This is based on the biographical book by Eric Lomax, a World War II British officer (Colin Firth) who was captured and tortured by the Japanese during the construction of the Thai/Burma railway. His new wife (Nicole Kidman) discovers that his torturer is still alive, so he sets out for revenge. The mood of this film starts somber and gets more dismal from there. The story alternates between his despondent present and his awful past, while most of the intensity comes from the prison camp (naturally). Performances are all around strong and the story is compelling, but the film fails to pack an emotional wallop.

GAY ANGLE: I’ve never found Firth that sexy, but the younger version is cute (isn’t that always the case?).

Dom Hemingway

Director: Richard Shepard
Writer: Richard Shepard
Stars: Jude Law, Richard E. Grant, Demian Bichir

Jude Law flexes his muscles (figuratively and literally) as a brash, bellicose safecracker who gets out of jail after 12 years. He sets out (with friend Richard E. Grant) to collect what’s owed him and reconnect with his daughter. This is one of those roles that gives a classy actor a chance to play against type and Law approaches it with gusto: cussing, ranting and violently attacking every one and every scene. While it’s fun to watch (and sometimes too much), the character doesn’t draw much sympathy until it’s almost over. The writing and direction are solid without elevating the film to exceptional, but Law’s energy makes it worthwhile.

GAY ANGLE: Jude in the nude, all beefed up and bare-assed.

• 

Jerry Williams reviewed movies for WTVR-TV for 14 years and for Style Weekly for 10 years. When he launched his own website in 1998 at TVJerry.com, he took his reviews to the Internet. Through those hundreds of reviews, Jerry kept his sexual orientation muted. So, he's excited to be adding "gay angles" to his postings for GayRVA.com.