Review - The Way Back

In 1940, seven prisoners escape a Siberian prison and begin the long walk to freedom with little food and even fewer supplies. Although they know that the journey across some of the world’s most challenging terrain will be fraught with danger, they would rather take the chance and die free men than as Stalin’s prisoners.

The Way Back is based on Slavomir Rawicz’s memoir of the same name, and it is obvious that the film means a lot to director, Peter Weir. The film is painstakingly detailed, from the bark masks the men use to protect themselves from snow, down to the terrain and costumes. The problem is that Weir may be too close to the subject matter to make decisions to strengthen the movie. Yes, there are many scenes during which the audience may feel as though they are more than casual observers – the weather depicted in the film is so extreme and harsh it is hard not to shiver when the men shiver, or feel the heat as they do – but this may be part of the problem. The painstaking attention to detail means that the film feels as long and drawn out as the characters’ journey, and at times the audience may long for some action, if only to break up the monotony of voyaging across a bleak landscape.

The performances are fantastic, in particular Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, Colin Farrell and Jim Sturgess. Farrell plays a Russian thug, and obviously tapped into his knowledge of Dublin’s rougher inhabitants as inspiration for the role. A lot of the audience’s emotional connection falls to Ronan and she carries it well for the most part. By the time the landscape begins to take it’s toll on her, however, a lot of sympathy for the character has been lost, mainly due to the fact that the journey is so drawn out. The audience is aware that the trek from Siberia to India took the survivors a year to complete, and there are times when the movie feels just as long. There are also some awkward moments with accents; yes, the performances are great, but one can’t help but wonder why Irish and English actors were cast when there are so many strong Eastern European actors who could have done the role as well, and with their natural accents.

Overall, The Way Back is a gruelling and challenging piece of cinema depicting the lengths that people will go to in order to get back home, and the resilience of the human spirit. The trouble is that the choices made during editing were not harsh enough, leaving the movie feeling over long and drawn out. If it is a movie about walking that you want, perhaps The Lord of the Rings would be a better choice – yes it consists of three movies, but at least there are some battles to liven up the journey.