The quality of mercy isn't just strained in The Railway Man, it's measured out by the teaspoonful.
– Peter Howell,
Toronto Star,
24 Apr 2014
rotten:
Why does the movie leave one cold?
– John Anderson,
Newsday,
24 Apr 2014
fresh:
Beautifully acted, The Railway Man is profoundly moving, and yet, somehow, its sentimental ending manages to be both unearned and predictable.
– David Hiltbrand,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
25 Apr 2014
rotten:
The critical problems are an overbusy time-jumping script and reliance on the conventions of the trauma drama - flashbacks, fragmentation, distorted time and space - that prove more a barrier than a window into the character's inner lives.
– Liam Lacey,
Globe and Mail,
25 Apr 2014
rotten:
The filmmakers don't have the nerve for a serious consideration of trauma, vengeance, and forgiveness.