In 1941 three men reach India from Tibet having walked 4000 miles after escaping a Siberian gulag. The film tells their story and that of four others who escaped with them and a teenage girl who joins them in flight. The groups natural leader is Janusz a Pole condemned by accusations secured by torturing his wife he knows how to live in the wilds. They escape under cover of a snowstorm a cynical American a Russian thug a comic accountant a pastry chef who draws a priest and a Pole with night blindness. They face freezing nights lack of food and water mosquitoes an endless desert the Himalayas and moral questions of when to leave someone behind.
Review
So the book has been proved false. Does this mean that the "true story" isn't true after all There have been many claims by others that it is fact instead of fiction. Whatever it doesn't matter Peter Weir's "The Way Back" this movie about that book which tells the tale of gulag escapees and their harrowing journey to freedom is a welltold and inspiring tale than anything else.
All of the actors are terrific in their roles Jim Sturgess as the de facto leader of the bunch showing a more improved and mature side to his acting since ∡" Ed Harris as the gruff American Smith who is hardedged and ironwilled until he eventually befriends... Saiorse Ronan as Irene the runaway girl who joins them on their quest Ronan here shows a perfect balance of various emotions while not overdoing it like many child stars her age... she definitely is one of the best young actresses today Colin Farrell as the violent yet humorous soldier who protects the team from danger in Siberia and provides comic relief when needed Farrell shows that he can be tough yet likable at the same time without being completely overblown and shows his versatility as an actor European actors Dragos Bucur Alexandru Potocean Sebastian Urzendowsky and Gustaf Skarsgård round off the remaining escapees and they all acted great in their respective and differing roles. The chemistry between all of the actors at parts are great.
Having said that the film's only flaw is that it sacrificed substantial characterization for realism and visual spectacles. The characters are thinly but not overly so fleshed out and the interactions between them are short before the next walking shot. But when it comes to realism and believability the film succeeds. I was surprised when I saw National Geographic was one of the coproducers of the film but I wasn't as soon as I saw how realistic the depictions of survival the characters did in the film. Men will do anything to escape to freedom and the determination and spirit to survive in a harsh and unforgiving natural world is what Weir and his script is trying to say but the walking parts are written in masterful detail that any line of dialog may ruin it so silence is sometimes golden in these parts. The screenplay also challenges the usual Hollywood clichés that usually are found in this film genre and it transforms them into better more realistic and sometimes unsettling situations.
Productionwise the film is a triumph. The production design is great and makes extremely well use of real locations. The cinematography by Russell Boyd is dazzling simply marvelous it is wide sweeping and epic with lush scenery of forests deserts and the snowpeaked Himalayas exquisitely shot throughout. The wide cinematography makes the experience even more harrowing thanks to Lee Smith's fluid and crisp editing and Burkhard Dallwitz's great music score and terrific music timing Dallwitz and Weir know when and how musicsound can be used in a scene and that sometimes silence is crucial to certain moments. Here Weir uses that silence to terrific and very intense effect and with his extremely focused direction manages to being out a very exhilarating and at the same time excruciating (in a good way) experience. So much so that I forgot about the controversy surrounding the "true story" and found myself hugely engrossed in the movie not wanting it to end.
In short the film lightly suffers from lack of proper characterization but is heavy on almost everything else acting directing cinematography production value and music. If it had proper characterization it would have been an instant classic and a contender for the Best Picture Oscar. Still as it stands "The Way Back" is still an epic adventure an inspiring sometimes funny and often intense and harrowing experience that also proves that Peter Weir is still an ambitious tourdeforce filmmaker.
Overall rating 77100