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The Way Back (I) (2010) 7.3
Ratings:
7.3/10 from 55,466 users
Metascore: 66/100
Reviews: 126 user | 201 critic | 33 from Metacritic.com Siberian gulag escapees walk 4000 miles overland to freedom in India. Director:Peter Weir |
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Title: The Way Back (2010)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Colin Farrell | ... | ||
| Mark Strong | ... | ||
| Saoirse Ronan | ... | ||
| Jim Sturgess | ... | ||
| Ed Harris | ... | ||
| Gustaf Skarsgård | ... |
Voss
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Alexandru Potocean | ... |
Tomasz
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Sebastian Urzendowsky | ... |
Kazik
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| Dragos Bucur | ... |
Zoran
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| Zahary Baharov | ... |
Interrogator
(as Zahari Baharov)
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Sally Edwards | ... |
Janusz's Wife, 1939
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Igor Gnezdilov | ... |
Bohdan
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| Dejan Angelov | ... |
Andrei
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Stanislav Pishtalov | ... |
Commandant
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Mariy Grigorov | ... |
Lazar
(as Marii Grigorov)
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
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 group's 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. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Taglines:
Their escape was just the beginningMotion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for violent content, depiction of physical hardships, a nude image and brief strong language | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Details
Release Date:
21 January 2011 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Camino a la libertad See more »Box Office
Opening Weekend:
$1,208,196 (USA) (21 January 2011)Gross:
$2,677,401 (USA) (18 February 2011)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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[in Polish, using English subtitles]
Interrogator: [presents pen to sign confession]
Janusz: No.
Interrogator: Bring in the witness.
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [brought in]
Interrogator: Do you know this man? His name?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: Janusz Wieszczek.
Interrogator: Witness, what's your relationship with this man?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [crying] I am his wife.
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The film is based on a memoir by Slavomir Rawicz depicting his escape from a Siberian gulag and subsequent 4000-mile walk to freedom in India. Incredibly popular, it sold over 500,000 copies and is credited with inspiring many explorers. However, in 2006 the BBC unearthed records (including some written by Rawicz himself) that showed he had been released by the USSR in 1942. In 2009 another former Polish soldier, Witold Glinski, claimed that the book was really an account of his own escape. However this claim too has been seriously challenged. See more »Goofs
When they notice Janusz has left the Tibetan monastery and they call for him on the mountain ridge, K2 appears in the background, which is in the Karakorum mountains, far away from where the action rolls, near the Tibetan border with Nepal. See more »Quotes
[first lines][in Polish, using English subtitles]
Interrogator: [presents pen to sign confession]
Janusz: No.
Interrogator: Bring in the witness.
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [brought in]
Interrogator: Do you know this man? His name?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: Janusz Wieszczek.
Interrogator: Witness, what's your relationship with this man?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [crying] I am his wife.
[...]
See more »
Peter Weir's follow-up to Master & Commander (2003) is the unflinching, stark, & brilliant The Way Back, which takes on the weighty theme of man's struggle for freedom.
At the dawn of WWII, several men escape from a Russian gulag. The film details their perilous & uncertain journey to freedom, as they cross deserts, mountains, & several nations.
The cast is a clever mix of seasoned pros & relative newcomers. Ed Harris, in the role of the sole American, lends his usual gravitas. Colin Farrell borrows from his In Bruges character, but the addition of bad jailhouse tattoos is wildly amusing, & his Russian is quite passable. It's always nice to see Mister Farrell doing serious work, rather than bland fluff like Miami Vice or SWAT. Mark Strong's brief, but plot-essential appearance is joyous.
Jim Sturgess gets a chance to redeem himself from the disastrous flop 21, & does a fine job here, as the central character. & the adolescent Saoirse Ronan belies her extensive & impressive resume with an understated performance that sparkles against the men's terse asperity.
Breathtaking vistas that serve as the backdrop to the cast's efforts lend The Way Back an epic feel, echoed by mature editing, & mavellously restrained use of music.
This is, quite possibly, the most serious film Peter Weir has ever directed, & the result is both thought-provoking & inspiring. We can only hope that it gets a proper release, & is allowed an opportunity to reach its grown-up audience.