THE PLOT Poland 1940, at the time of the Nazi-Soviet pact and Polish officer, Janusz Wieczak (Jim Sturgess) is falsely accused of anti-Communist espionage and sent to a Siberian gulag in the most harrowing of conditions, a supposedly inescapable prison. After what seems a mere few days (supposedly some weeks or months) Janusz escapes, along with six inmates including Farrell’s Valka and Harris’ Mr Smith. Their destination: India, via many thousands of miles through Russia, Mongolia, China and Tibet.
THE REVIEW There’s not a lot more of the plot requiring explanation. Essentially they escape, enduring some of the harshest terrain and climates the world could offer. Along the way they collect orphan street urchin Irena (Saoirse Ronan), and lose others of their number
The panoramas and vista are beautifully captured, somewhat of a Weir trademark, but sometimes feel almost rushed. In fact whilst this is not a short film, you get the feeling that that much of it was left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps this could be where some of the character development might also have ended up. And here we get to the nub of the issue surrounding this flick, the script. Enticing a plot as this true story presents, the character development is just not there. The lead character barely leads, to the point where this feels more of an ensemble affair, but it lacks the essence of an ensemble performance. The acting is credible from all parties, particularly Harris and Farrell but The Way Back never really soars.
THE VERDICT Good acting and dramatic panoramas are let down by a weak script leaving the audience uninvolved, engendering no genuine empathy. Not the great film this epic story could have been.
TC
Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Keith R. Clarke and Peter Weir (screenplay), Slavomir Rawicz (novel)
Stars: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Gustaf Skarsgård, Saoirse Ronan and Mark Strong
Running Time: 133 Mins
NOW SEE THE TRAILER...
UK Release Date: 26th December 2010
AWARDS
Academy Award Nominee - Makeup: Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
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