The Way Back (2010)
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Reviews Counted: 125
Fresh: 94 | Rotten: 31
It isn't as emotionally involving as it should be, but this Peter Weir epic offers sweeping ambition and strong performances to go with its grand visual spectacle.
Average Rating: 7/10
Critic Reviews: 32
Fresh: 18 | Rotten: 14
It isn't as emotionally involving as it should be, but this Peter Weir epic offers sweeping ambition and strong performances to go with its grand visual spectacle.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 31,211
Movie Info
Directed by six-time Academy Award (R) nominee Peter Weir, THE WAY BACK is an epic story of survival, solidarity and indomitable human will. Shot in Bulgaria, Morocco and India, the film stars Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe, The Other Boleyn Girl), Ed Harris (Appaloosa) and Colin Farrell (In Bruges) as prisoners of a Soviet Union labor camp, who, along with four others, flee their Siberian Gulag and begin a treacherous journey across thousands of miles of hostile terrain. Academy Award (R)
Jan 21, 2011 Wide
Apr 22, 2011
$2.7M
Newmarket Films LLC
Watch It Now
Cast
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Jim Sturgess
Janusz -
Colin Farrell
Valka -
Ed Harris
Mr. Smith -
Saoirse Ronan
Irena
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The Way Back Trailer & Photos
All Critics (125) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (94) | Rotten (31) | DVD (8)
Weir has always loved atmospheric locales and group dynamics, and here he makes the most of both
Top CriticEventually the film itself is something of an endurance test, and not as rewarding as it hopes to be. But it's a worthy venture, earnest and well-produced and occasionally gripping.
The abiding sensation, at the end, is one not of fulfillment but of exhaustion.
This is an impressive production and technical feat, but through most of it, I kept thinking about how difficult the filming conditions must have been, and not about the lives of the men in front of me.
he long stretches between stations make The Way Back an arduous road.
The Way Back represents an exquisite example of style over substance, of vast visuals dwarfing the characters and nearly swallowing the story whole.
a solid, resonant meditation on survival, on hope, on the value of life in the face of implacable hostility, portrayed memorably by an excellent cast and [Director] Weir's vast, brutal, awe-inspiring landscapes
An old fashioned survival yarn, beautifully shot and well-told.
Script-wise, there is nothing truly revelatory here, but the patient viewer will be rewarded by a film of unique awe and heart wrenching wonder.
However, among solid performances, beautiful locations, and a truly harrowing journey, this film left me feeling empty.
It's unfortunate that Peter Weir's first film in seven years, although a remarkable story, by its very nature risks tediousness.
This is a perfect example of the well-made (from acclaimed director Peter Weir), well-acted and well-everything-elsed film that you watch, admire and then hope to never lay eyes on again.
Screen-saver metaphysics
There is a limit to how many times one human can watch toothless, malnourished men stumble around the desert bitching about communism and a lack of borscht.
An exceptional adventure story from one of the founding fathers of Australia's modern cinema.
It may not seem like much of a compliment to say a movie makes you feel like you've walked 4,000 miles, but "The Way Back" puts you in its characters' tattered shoes and makes you care whether they make it home or not.
Visually, as with all Peter Weir's films, this is really outstanding and really quite memorable.
It's an uncompromising film, necessarily episodic in its depiction of the group's quest for survival, but mesmerizingly involving.
The characters are so underdeveloped that there exists no real relationship between them on screen or in fact between characters and the audience.
full review at Movies for the Masses
An epic tale of mind, body, and spirit, The Way Back looks at the other side of WWII atrocities, and marks the return of master filmmaker Peter Weir.
A great escape leads to a harrowing test of endurance.
Despite an epic premise and the fine talent involved, the characters are under-written and the drama never soars.
As dreary as the film is, it draws you in with its captivating, yet sober, cinematography and the solid performances of the cast.
It's not the sort of prison escape movie that Hollywood makes these days: it's more subtle, more moody, more restrained and it has no histrionics
..extreme challenge of human endeavour that ends with an overwhelming flush of emotion
Audience Reviews for The Way Back
Super Reviewer
If only the beginning title cards didn't give away the end of the film, I might have thought it more suspenseful and compelling. As it is, I could guess the ending easily, and the film lost its luster for me. Additionally, it is affected by Lord of the Rings syndrome: the mistaken belief that beautiful shots of people walking makes for compelling cinema. Peter Weir, whose films all include the plights of common people against repressive politics, should have taken some notes from Danny Boyle, whose 127 Hours made a guy stuck under a rock more compelling than this peripatetic film.
But if you look at a map and trace the incredible distance these people traveled, you can understand why the story is so incredible. The characters are certainly courageous and admirable, and the performances by the cast - even by the insufferable Colin Farrell - are all up to par.
Overall, it's a compelling idea with compelling characters, but the film lacks a stylistic flair to keep it interesting.
Super Reviewer
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- Valka: You say too many prayers for an innocent man.
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- Janusz: A free man died here today.
- Valka: Still, one less mouth to feed... What?
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- Valka: Don't you know what 'Stalin' means, funny man? Means man-of-steel.
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- Valka: We're lost.
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- Mr. Smith: If your thinkin' about makin a run for it....I'm with ya.
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Featured
Movie: ID: 770805055 Title: The Way Back Release Date: 2011-01-21 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Way Back (L'shuv B'hazara) (DE)
- Way Back (L'shuv B'hazara) (UK)
