Review of The Way Back (2010) by Chris W — 20 Aug 2011

Ever since I first heard about this movie, I became very interested, and really wanted to see it. I had some very high expectations. Unfortunately my expectations were not totally met, and this film isn't quite as amazing as I hoped it would be, but damn, it's still really good, and some impressive filmmaking.

The story is alleged to be based on real events, but this has been disputed, and it has been revelaed that the film's events are essentially fiction. Even though it sucks that this isn't really true, it's still a really compelling story, which is that of a group who escape a Siberian gulag prison camp in 1940 and make their way (by foot) all the way to India 4,00 mailes away, as they see it as the best place to escape to (though not initially so).

In essence, this is just a classic survival story that pushes the man versus nature trope to the max. These characters go through all sorts of hell across all kinds of unforgiving terrain. The film is a little underwhelming in the sense that it's a little emotionally vacant, the characters aren't developed as much as they could be, and there's no real deep conflict at hand besides survivng the elements. While that's all a little disappointing considering that it means the film is 133 minutes (with almost all of it being the characters walking), it's extremely well done, and it looks gorgeous.

Technically speaking, this is a very superb film. The cinematography is top notch, and Weir and his DP know where to set the lens and frma stuff just right. The makeup effects are also quite excellent, showing in detail the effects of sunstroke, extreme dehydration, hordes of mosquitos, and, let's not forget, the effects of freezing cold. Even though I did mention the lack of real conflict, the performances of the multicultural cast (playing multicultural characters) are all pretty good. Sturgess and Harris were good, but my favorites were the two performers representing Ireland: Ronan and Farrell.

Since this is a survival story, one thing I liked and appreciated were some of the cool details about how the characters survived, such as the cool snow masks they make out of bark, and their sheer will to plow on despite increasingly ragged clothing.

This film marked the end of a 12 year absence of Peter Weir, with his most recent film before this being Master and Commander. Though this isn't a masterpiece, it's good to see him make a return, and even better to see that he hasn't totally lost his touchc. Hopefully he won't let so much time pass between this and his next one, because God only knows that no one can make a film quite like him.