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    The Way Back

    • 20102010
    • PG-13PG-13
    • 2h 13min
    IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    112K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,272
    7
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    The Way Back (2010)
    A young military officer (Sturgess) leads an escape from a hellish gulag in Siberia during WWII. Making a pact with six companions, the group embarks on a daring mission across Asia to hopeful safety in India.
    Trailer2:02
    1 Video
    99+ Photos
    AdventureDramaHistory

    Siberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.Siberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.Siberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.Siberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.Siberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.

    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writers
      • Slavomir Rawicz(novel "The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom")
      • Peter Weir(screenplay)
      • Keith R. Clarke(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Jim Sturgess
      • Ed Harris
      • Colin Farrell
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writers
      • Slavomir Rawicz(novel "The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom")
      • Peter Weir(screenplay)
      • Keith R. Clarke(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Jim Sturgess
      • Ed Harris
      • Colin Farrell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 218User reviews
    • 217Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Way Back
    Trailer 2:02
    The Way Back

    Photos172

    Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Gustaf Skarsgård, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, and Alexandru Potocean in The Way Back (2010)
    Colin Farrell in The Way Back (2010)
    Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Dragos Bucur, and Saoirse Ronan in The Way Back (2010)
    Saoirse Ronan in The Way Back (2010)
    Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, and Saoirse Ronan in The Way Back (2010)
    Saoirse Ronan in The Way Back (2010)
    Ed Harris in The Way Back (2010)
    Jim Sturgess in The Way Back (2010)
    The Way Back (2010)
    Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Gustaf Skarsgård, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, and Alexandru Potocean in The Way Back (2010)
    Colin Farrell in The Way Back (2010)
    Saoirse Ronan in The Way Back (2010)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jim Sturgess
    Jim Sturgess
    • Januszas Janusz
    Ed Harris
    Ed Harris
    • Mr. Smithas Mr. Smith
    Colin Farrell
    Colin Farrell
    • Valkaas Valka
    Dragos Bucur
    Dragos Bucur
    • Zoranas Zoran
    Alexandru Potocean
    Alexandru Potocean
    • Tomaszas Tomasz
    Saoirse Ronan
    Saoirse Ronan
    • Irenaas Irena
    Mark Strong
    Mark Strong
    • Khabarovas Khabarov
    Gustaf Skarsgård
    Gustaf Skarsgård
    • Vossas Voss
    Sebastian Urzendowsky
    Sebastian Urzendowsky
    • Kazikas Kazik
    Zachary Baharov
    Zachary Baharov
    • Interrogatoras Interrogator
    • (as Zahari Baharov)
    Sally Brunski
    • Janusz's Wife, 1939as Janusz's Wife, 1939
    • (as Sally Edwards)
    Igor Gnezdilov
    • Bohdanas Bohdan
    Dejan Angelov
    • Andreias Andrei
    Stanislav Pishtalov
    • Commandantas Commandant
    Mariy Rosen
    Mariy Rosen
    • Lazaras Lazar
    • (as Marii Grigorov)
    Nikolay Stanoev
    Nikolay Stanoev
    • Yurias Yuri
    • (as Nikolai Stanoev)
    Stefan Shterev
    • Cookas Cook
    Yordan Bikov
    • Garbage Eater #1as Garbage Eater #1
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writers
      • Slavomir Rawicz(novel "The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom")
      • Peter Weir(screenplay)
      • Keith R. Clarke(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

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    Storyline

    Edit
    In 1941, three men attempt to flee communist Russia, escaping a Siberian gulag. This movie tells their story and that of four others who escaped with them and a teenage girl, Irena Zielinska (Saoirse Ronan), who joins them in flight. The group's natural leader is Janusz Weiszczek (Jim Sturgess), a Pole condemned by accusations secured by torturing his wife, spent much of his youth outdoors, and knows how to live in the wild. They escape under cover of a snowstorm: cynical American Mr. Smith (Ed Harris), Russian thug Valka (Colin Farrell), comedic accountant Zoran (Dragos Bucur), pastry chef Tomasz Horodinsky (Alexandru Potocean), who draws, Priest Andrejs Voss (Gustav Skarsgård), and Polish Kazik (Sebastian Urzendowsky), who suffers from night blindness. They face freezing nights, lack of food and water, mosquitoes, an endless desert, the Himalayas, as well as many moral and ethical dilemmas throughout the journey towards freedom. —<jhailey@hotmail.com>, Shahob, Bellingham, WA, US
    desertescapesurvivallong walkoasis81 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Their escape was just the beginning
    • Genres
      • Adventure
      • Drama
      • History
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for violent content, depiction of physical hardships, a nude image and brief strong language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This movie was inspired by the memoir of Slavomir Rawicz depicting his escape from a Siberian gulag and subsequent four thousand-mile walk to freedom in India. Incredibly popular, it sold over five hundred thousand copies, and is credited with inspiring many explorers. However, in 2006, the BBC unearthed records (including some written by Rawicz) that showed he had been released by the U.S.S.R. 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.
    • Goofs
      Janusz demonstrates a method using shadows of a stick and rock to find the compass direction of south. Yet, many of the scenes show them walking in a direction inconsistent with sun angles i.e. sun at their backs, which would have them walking north.
    • Quotes

      Mr. Smith: Kindness. That will kill you here.

    • Connections
      Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 7 December 2010 (2010)

    User reviews218

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    What an incredible story
    I mean these men escaped a Russian gulag and WALKED 4,000 miles from Siberia to India, come on...

    So this movie is based on the 1959 memoir "The Long Walk" (of which there is some debate over its validity). Regardless I really enjoyed it, the story is incredible and I'd been looking foreword to seeing what they would do in the movie version. Throw in a top notch cast as our Siberian gulag escapees (Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess) and this should have been fantastic. All I can say there is maybe my expectations were too high because honestly I came away a little disappointed, actually preferring the book.

    The movie itself was very long and kind of jumped around. Granted they had a lot of material to cover as our men escape under cover of a snowstorm and undertake a treacherous journey across thousands of miles of hostile terrain. They face freezing nights, lack of food and water, injuries, mosquitoes, an endless desert, the Himalayas, and moral questions of when to leave someone behind.

    The cinematography is beautiful, the scenery breathtaking and everyone does a great job. Ed Harris is excellent as the American Mr. Smith (love him) and Colin Ferrell (love him a bit more) was awesome as a tattooed gang-style prisoner, with an amazing Russian accent. As a point of interest his character is not in the book. The scenes in the blizzard and the Gobi desert stand out to me and are brutal but well done. 08.11
    helpful•12
    2
    • juneebuggy
    • Jan 26, 2015

    FAQ2

    • Is "The Way Back" based on a book?
    • Is this movie based on a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 21, 2011 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Poland
      • India
    • Languages
      • English
      • Russian
      • Polish
      • Tibetan
      • Mongolian
    • Also known as
      • Camino a la libertad
    • Filming locations
      • Morocco
    • Production companies
      • Exclusive Films
      • National Geographic Films
      • Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $30,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,701,859
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,218,868
      • Jan 23, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $24,172,201
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 13min
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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